Wednesday, 6 November 2019

Amour

"This is some smooth wine, cara bella!" he is savouring every sip as we carefully observe the paintings in the museum.

My lover and I have come a long way, it has been over a year now, and we still hide our trepidation and bravely face the society that surrounds us. It is just pure love and frank lust that binds us. Together, we talk about many things, some serious academics, and some tough naughtiness to beat, yet we maintain our zing in the most plain and simple approaches that we know.

"Yes, bubeleh! It is fine wine. Well, what do you think of this painting?" ask I as we stop before a painting which is so captivating. It is an oil painting of a nude woman, whose body looks as if it was sculpted by the finest of sculptors. Yet, her eyes seem disturbingly pale and mysterious. My beloved knows a lot, and he loves literature, but now he too has fallen silent before this painting.

"Tish, this painting is beautiful. It is a nicely done artwork, perhaps by an artist who tried to express his affection for his lover through colours on canvas" he says gulping down the last bit of wine from his glass. Seeing my eyes fixed on the painting, he fails to resist his humour, and so, he carelessly but lovingly teases me by whispering into my ears, "Tish, she is a beautiful woman, but I have my eyes set on the woman who is standing beside me, naked or fully clothed, doesn't matter!" A coquettish smile spreads across my face, and I immediately buy the painting. He does not understand the intentions behind this hasty purchase, and I tell him that there is a tale that will unfold before him tonight. His eyes gleam in pure bliss and his face reflects all the naughty thoughts.

*****

The painting matches the decor of our humble abode by the woods. We are not bothered by any societal labels, instead we wake up to the songs of the rustling leaves, chirping birds and gentle zephyrs. A log cabin surrounded by nature is both soothing and terrifying. He and I are happy to be in this little cabin, for this isolation brings out our monstrous desires, and simultaneously we feel safe in each other's arms.

He comes to bed, and in his baritone voice asks me, "So, what story will I be listening to or seeing tonight?" As he begins to kiss my arm and makes his way to my neck, his hand gently runs inside my tees and unhooks my bra. I cannot resist him, and my wetness yield becomes rich. He nibbles on my earlobes, making his every touch erotic. Asserting his weight on me, he goes up and down, I let him in. Listening to what I want, he exactly does that and makes me feel good. We make love!

"Ah... that was a good one! Now tell me, sweetie, what is so beautiful about this painting?" Wiping the little sweat on his forehead, he lights a cigarette and awaits for my response.

Playfully snatching his cigarette, I take a deep drag and say, "Bubeleh, this painting has a tale to tell. Do you know the story of Psyche?"

*****

Psyche was the most beautiful mortal woman anyone had ever seen. Her beauty was glorified so much that the goddess of beauty, Aphrodite, herself envied Psyche. But the men only admired Psyche's beauty, nobody came forward to take her hands in marriage. Unable to see his daughter in distress, the King visited the oracle of Delphi, and asked Apollo for his help. Listening to the King, Apollo delivered a terrible prophesy, and Psyche was sent to the mountains, where she waited for the hideous creature to come and take her.

Upon waking up, Psyche found herself in a huge palace. She learned the splendours of the place and its luxury, but was forbidden to look at the creature who married her. The creature returned to Psyche, his wife, every night. Psyche was happy, she was loved, but the only thing that was slowly eating her away was that she was not allowed to see her husband.

One day, she took a candle near the creature and was surprised to see that her husband was the most handsome man she could have ever imagined. It was Eros, the son of Aphrodite. The drop of burning wax accidentally awakened Eros, and he was deeply hurt by this betrayal.

Immensely angered by Psyche's act, Eros in a firm tone said, "You were forbidden to see how I look, but your curiosity knew no limits. You tried to seek security in knowledge and destroyed our relationship!" Having uttered these words in pure detest of Psyche, Eros disappeared into the dark.

Psyche felt terribly sad and looked for her husband everywhere. She finally went to Aphrodite and pleaded her to talk to her son. Aphrodite sought this as the opportune moment and gave Psyche three cruel tasks to finish. The first task was to separate the seeds of wheat, millet and other grains from a small dune. The second was to fill a jar of water from River Estige, a river known for its awful and abhorrent torrents. Psyche managed to complete these two tasks. Aphrodite crafted the third one which would truly test Psyche's mettle. She was asked to go to Hades, the underworld, and bring the elixir of beauty to Aphrodite. Psyche was not supposed to open the box, but her curiosity compelled her to err once again. In the box, she did not see the elixir, instead there was Morpheus, the god of sleep and dreams, hiding. Psyche fell asleep.

Eros found out what had happened and went to Zeus for help. He begged Zeus to save Psyche. Zeus was amazed by their love, and agreed to help Eros. He even made Psyche immortal so that the two lovers could be together for eternity.

*****

"Fascinating story!" he kissed me on my cheek and cupped my swelling breasts.

"It is, dear. Psyche means soul or breath of life, and Eros means desire" I say this as he sucks on my nipples.

"What about their child?" he asks me with a naughty smile.

And I once again heighten the mood by saying, "Their child is Hedone, the god of pleasure!"

*****

2 comments:

I would love to hear from you! Do leave a comment!