Love in the Vineyard
after Anacreon
Grape stains on his skin like purple fingerprints remaining from our tryst under the arbor
His hair smells of fermented fruit and the earthy scent of vines I am drunk on his presence more than the wine we drink
In the warm light of afternoon we laze on the grassy hill our love as fleeting as the seasons but in this moment, it’s enough
I took from Anacreon the focus on sensual details and the fleeting nature of love, and applied it to a fresh scene of erotic encounter in a vineyard. I aimed to capture the informal, yet elevated diction and the sudden shifts in tone that are characteristic of his poetry.