Love in a Taberna
after Catullus
In the taberna’s dim light I see your face, a flame that burns, a spark that cuts my heart, a wound that will not heal
Your eyes, like dark olives, shine bright with mockery and yet, I am drawn to you like a ship to the rocky shore
Your lips, a thin line, curve upward in a smile that speaks of secrets, of whispers unspoken, of promises unkept
I am lost in the depths of your eyes, a sailor without anchor, without star to guide me through the darkness
I took from Catullus his intense focus on personal relationships and his use of everyday imagery to explore the complexities of love and desire. I applied these elements to a modern scenario, a chance encounter in a taberna, to create a poem that is both rooted in his lineage and freshly relevant.