pinned inside your beating wing
Today's poem:
Prayer for Men
I will not praise your body after sex
naked on the small, white bed
as prayer is sent to gods, and you,
thin-boned and sleeping,
vulnerable to my hands and mouth,
are too humane for ancient games.
if you had come a whirl of smoke, deified
exhausted fire, turned inside me
burning till my tongue learned flames,
then I might praise you.
If you had put on feathers and descended,
pulled me into sky or water, hung me
weightless, pinned inside your beating wing,
then I might praise you.
But you entered the way a man is made to
enter, asked my name, then waited
for an answer the way men do. It's praise
to watch you listen in your sleep, to fit
the curve your body questions; praise enough
to guard you until morning. Then gods will
lie down on mountaintops and dream their human
dreams of prayer, of women, of love.
~Erin Belieu
***
The other day,
minim_calibre reminded me that it's that time of year again:
The AO3 stats meme:
Previous years: 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011.
Top 10 stories by hit count on AO3 (as of 4/21/16):
Talking Trash and Wasting Time, Avengers, Hits: 36583
(Clint/Darcy, the one with Thursday night drunk)
Even a Miracle Needs a Hand, Avengers, Hits: 36298
(Clint/Darcy fake Christmas boyfriend)
7A WF 83429, Avengers, Hits: 34352
(Steve/Darcy sex pollen)
The Spin I'm In, Avengers, Hits: 33630
(Steve/Bucky 5 things)
Greetings to the New Brunette, Avengers, Hits: 31739
(Steve/Bucky, kidfic)
you and your high top sneakers and your sailor tattoos, Avengers, Hits: 29688
(Steve/Darcy, the one where Darcy punches Captain America's v-card.)
64 Colors, Avengers, Hits: 29185
(gen, the one with the Avengers coloring parties)
last night, while I slept, they rearranged the streets, Avengers, Hits: 27370
(Steve/Bucky, everybody thinks they're a couple)
Our history is just in our blood (history, like love, is never enough), Avengers, Hits: 24920
(Steve/Bucky, the one where Bucky's an amnesiac barista, also a remix)
soar, wheel, gulp, and dive, Avengers, Hits: 23786
(Steve/Bucky, 2 first kisses)
And here are my Top 10 stories by kudos on AO3 (as of 4/21/16):
The Spin I'm In, Avengers, Kudos: 2770
(Steve/Bucky 5 things)
Greetings to the New Brunette, Avengers, Kudos: 2509
(Steve/Bucky, kidfic)
last night, while I slept, they rearranged the streets, Avengers, Kudos: 2501
(Steve/Bucky, everyone thinks they're a couple)
64 Colors, Avengers, Kudos: 2223
(gen, the one with the Avengers coloring parties)
Even a Miracle Needs a Hand, Avengers, Kudos: 2076
(Clint/Darcy fake Christmas boyfriend)
Our history is just in our blood (history, like love, is never enough), Avengers, Kudos: 1925
(Steve/Bucky, the one where Bucky's an amnesiac barista, also a remix, and these kinds of numbers are unusual for a remix, in my experience)
break loose of loss and longing, Avengers, Kudos: 1790
(Steve/Bucky, the one where Bucky doesn't think about them as a couple)
what it is to be possible, Avengers, Kudos: 1790
(Steve/Bucky, the one where Steve says they've been a couple since the 30s)
If it's not love, then it's the bomb, Avengers, Kudos: 1739
(Steve/Bucky, hurt/comfort + first time)
Talking Trash and Wasting Time, Avengers, Kudos: 1735
(Clint/Darcy, the one with Thursday night drunk)
Two new stories jump into the top 10, tied for 8th place!
You don't hit a non-Avengers story until #27, which is the Star Wars: The Force Awakens story where Rey meditates with Force ghost!Anakin (a shockingly popular story considering it can be described as a story where Rey meditates with a ghost). Crazy.
I didn't do it by comments because I haven't in the past, but if I had, two yuletide stories would jump into the top 10 (one BBT and one Devil Wears Prada), as would the Cap/Spidey, and, new this time around, the Veronica Mars: Agent of SHIELD story.
As always, I have no pithy insights to offer. I just like to see what changes year to year.
***
This entry at DW: http://musesfool.dreamwidth.org/835912.html.
people have commented there.
Prayer for Men
I will not praise your body after sex
naked on the small, white bed
as prayer is sent to gods, and you,
thin-boned and sleeping,
vulnerable to my hands and mouth,
are too humane for ancient games.
if you had come a whirl of smoke, deified
exhausted fire, turned inside me
burning till my tongue learned flames,
then I might praise you.
If you had put on feathers and descended,
pulled me into sky or water, hung me
weightless, pinned inside your beating wing,
then I might praise you.
But you entered the way a man is made to
enter, asked my name, then waited
for an answer the way men do. It's praise
to watch you listen in your sleep, to fit
the curve your body questions; praise enough
to guard you until morning. Then gods will
lie down on mountaintops and dream their human
dreams of prayer, of women, of love.
~Erin Belieu
***
The other day,
minim_calibre reminded me that it's that time of year again:
The AO3 stats meme:
Previous years: 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011.
Top 10 stories by hit count on AO3 (as of 4/21/16):
Talking Trash and Wasting Time, Avengers, Hits: 36583
(Clint/Darcy, the one with Thursday night drunk)
Even a Miracle Needs a Hand, Avengers, Hits: 36298
(Clint/Darcy fake Christmas boyfriend)
7A WF 83429, Avengers, Hits: 34352
(Steve/Darcy sex pollen)
The Spin I'm In, Avengers, Hits: 33630
(Steve/Bucky 5 things)
Greetings to the New Brunette, Avengers, Hits: 31739
(Steve/Bucky, kidfic)
you and your high top sneakers and your sailor tattoos, Avengers, Hits: 29688
(Steve/Darcy, the one where Darcy punches Captain America's v-card.)
64 Colors, Avengers, Hits: 29185
(gen, the one with the Avengers coloring parties)
last night, while I slept, they rearranged the streets, Avengers, Hits: 27370
(Steve/Bucky, everybody thinks they're a couple)
Our history is just in our blood (history, like love, is never enough), Avengers, Hits: 24920
(Steve/Bucky, the one where Bucky's an amnesiac barista, also a remix)
soar, wheel, gulp, and dive, Avengers, Hits: 23786
(Steve/Bucky, 2 first kisses)
And here are my Top 10 stories by kudos on AO3 (as of 4/21/16):
The Spin I'm In, Avengers, Kudos: 2770
(Steve/Bucky 5 things)
Greetings to the New Brunette, Avengers, Kudos: 2509
(Steve/Bucky, kidfic)
last night, while I slept, they rearranged the streets, Avengers, Kudos: 2501
(Steve/Bucky, everyone thinks they're a couple)
64 Colors, Avengers, Kudos: 2223
(gen, the one with the Avengers coloring parties)
Even a Miracle Needs a Hand, Avengers, Kudos: 2076
(Clint/Darcy fake Christmas boyfriend)
Our history is just in our blood (history, like love, is never enough), Avengers, Kudos: 1925
(Steve/Bucky, the one where Bucky's an amnesiac barista, also a remix, and these kinds of numbers are unusual for a remix, in my experience)
break loose of loss and longing, Avengers, Kudos: 1790
(Steve/Bucky, the one where Bucky doesn't think about them as a couple)
what it is to be possible, Avengers, Kudos: 1790
(Steve/Bucky, the one where Steve says they've been a couple since the 30s)
If it's not love, then it's the bomb, Avengers, Kudos: 1739
(Steve/Bucky, hurt/comfort + first time)
Talking Trash and Wasting Time, Avengers, Kudos: 1735
(Clint/Darcy, the one with Thursday night drunk)
Two new stories jump into the top 10, tied for 8th place!
You don't hit a non-Avengers story until #27, which is the Star Wars: The Force Awakens story where Rey meditates with Force ghost!Anakin (a shockingly popular story considering it can be described as a story where Rey meditates with a ghost). Crazy.
I didn't do it by comments because I haven't in the past, but if I had, two yuletide stories would jump into the top 10 (one BBT and one Devil Wears Prada), as would the Cap/Spidey, and, new this time around, the Veronica Mars: Agent of SHIELD story.
As always, I have no pithy insights to offer. I just like to see what changes year to year.
***
This entry at DW: http://musesfool.dreamwidth.org/835912.html.
people have commented there.