So Wrong In So Many Ways

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the women of ee cummings

As an artist myself I have always been fascinated by The Muse. Who she is, how she comes to be and the value of her impression. She leaves her thumbprint on artist, art and song, and us, her audience. We see her in image and lyric and feel we know her; certainly, we appreciate her, but she is anonymous even if her name is known. Why? Because The Muse isn't the presence we see or hear in a masterpiece, she is the impressive experience shared with and breathing through the artist. Whether fleeting or lingering, loved or despised, the power of her impact is admittedly, deliciously enigmatic.

Estlin (Edward Estlin) Cummings, 'ee cummings', had the innate ability to express this enigma with such a raw profundity my fascination is captured again and again. He had numerous lovers throughout various phases in his life, but few of these made it through his pen or brush. The few that did were women of two sorts; long-term emotional & physical partners (beautiful all three) and the infamous prostitutes of Paris, whom he socialized with as 'friends'. All of his relationships were smacked with debauchery and ended in scandal or torment, except for his beloved Marion with whom he shared the last 25+ years of his life (it is unclear if they were ever legally married).

Cummings met his first wife, Elaine Orr-Thayer while she was married to his college buddy, Scotfield in 1918. The two had an affair, condoned by Scotfield, which resulted in pregnancy. They were married in 1924 and divorced a mere two months later. For her he wrote the poem, 'i like my body when it is with your' printed on the header of my blog. Elaine has been noted as being a sadist of sorts, often ridiculing Cummings' sexual performance in front friends and colleagues.

goodby Betty,don't remember me
pencil your eyes dear and have a good time
with the tall tight boys at Tabari'
s,keep your teeth snowy,stick to beer and lime,
wear dark, and where your meeting breasts are round
have roses darling,it's all i ask of you--
but that when light fails and this sweet profound
Paris moves with lovers,two and two
bound for themselves,when passionately dusk
brings softly down the perfume of the world
(and just as smaller stars begin to husk
heaven)you,you exactly paled and curled

with mystic lips take twilight where i know:
proving to Death that Love is so and so.

In 1917 Cummings sailed off to France with the Norton-Harjes Ambulance Corps and was greatly influenced by the amorous free-style Parisian sensibilities toward sex. Here he spent considerable time in the companionship of a prostitute named Marie Louise Lallemand, and her illustrious cohorts. It's thought that his relationship with Marie Louise was strictly platonic due to the fact that Cummings had expressed his fears of contracting venereal disease in letters and journals, but it's not known for certain. It is known that they were friends and spent many days and nights with one another.


Anne Barton was a woman also of poly-amorous leanings who lived the 20's flapper lifestyle to the hilt. Cummings is assumed to have met her sometime in 1925 while she was in the keep of a wealthy Manhattan business man, known only by the name of Douglas whom Cummings dubbed "the merchant prince". Her allegiance to 'the merchant prince' continued well into her marriage to Cummings in 1929 in spite of his distaste. Anne's intoxicating beauty and lifestyle (she was the epitome of a party girl) resonated with Cummings and together they were known for hitting scenes and hosting outlandish drunken parties. It is known that Cummings kept detailed lists and journals of his sex partners/conquests, in one journal he said of Anne, "If Anne came into a room, every cock hit the ceiling." Shortly after meeting her he wrote:

since feeling is first
who pays any attention
to the syntax of things
will never wholly kiss you;

wholly to be a fool
while Spring is in the world

my blood approves,

and kisses are a better fate
than wisdom
lady i swear by all flowers.Don't cry
- the best gesture of my brain is less than
your eyelids' flutter which says

we are for each other;then
laugh, leaning back in my arms
for life's not a paragraph

And death i think is no parenthesis

His words of tender surrender could not then indicate the bitter theatrics the ending of their relationship would bring. Frustrated by Anne's promiscuity Cummings sought out psychiatric care for Anne and himself. The therapy was to no avail as Anne continued with her affairs (although hypocritically Cummings indulged in his own as well) and ultimately he cut off having sex with her because, in his words, "her bitchiness made her unbeautiful" to him.
They were divorced in 1932.

That same year he met the woman who would captivate his heart and hold it until his death in 1962. Marion Morehouse, 12 years Cummings junior, was a thriving model and muse to the great fashion photographer, Edward Steichen. The two were introduced at a dinner party and in classic Cummings style, fell into bed that first night and never parted.

because i love you)last night

clothed in sealace
appeared to me
your mind drifting
with chuckling rubbish
of pearl weed coral and stones;

lifted,and(before my
eyes sinking)inward,fled;softly
your face smile breasts gargled
by death:drowned only

again carefully through deepness to rise
these your wrists
thighs feet hands

poising
to again utterly disappear;
rushing gently swiftly creeping
through my dreams last
night,all of your
body with its spirit floated
(clothed only in

the tide's acute weaving murmur

Although the above poems are poignant and touching, his more erotic verse written before the time of Anne and Marion, include some of my favorites. In these, Cummings exposes his sexual self and desire with an arresting honesty that is at the same time groping and raw. These poems are known to be written about Elaine ~the joy of newness & firsts when all is yet possible and remains to be had...

O It's Nice To Get Up In,the slipshod mucous kiss
of her riant belly's fooling bore
--When The Sun Begins To(with a phrasing crease
of hot subliminal lips,as if a score
of youngest angels suddenly should stretch neat necks
just to see how always squirms
the skilful mystery of Hell)me suddenly

grips in chuckles of supreme sex.

In The Good Old Summer Time.
My gorgeous bullet in tickling intuitive flight
aches,just,simply,into,her. Thirsty
stirring. (Must be summer. Hush. Worms.)

But It's Nicer To Lie In Bed
---eh? I'm

not. Again. Hush. God. Please hold. Tight.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

And finally, my all time favorite:

my girl's tall with hard long eyes
as she stands,with her long hard hands keeping
silence on her dress,good for sleeping
is her long hard body filled with surprise
like a white shocking wire,when she smiles
a hard long smile it sometimes makes
gaily go clean through me tickling aches,
and the weak noise of her eyes easily files
my impatience to an edge--my girl's tall
and taut,with thin legs just like a vine
that's spent all of its life on a garden-wall,
and is going to die. When we grimly go to bed
with these legs she begins to heave and twine
about me,and to kiss my face and head.

For further reading about the personal (as well as the professional) life of Cummings, may I suggest: "E.E. Cummings: a biography", 2004, Christopher Sawyer-Lauçanno. Lauçanno dug deep to unveil not only the professional biography of, but the inner workings and intimate life of this literary great. I highly recommend. Happy reading ~Ilaria

Hot Girls Demonstrate Sex Positions

This video is so smokin hot, its all over the web. So hot, I had to have it too!
If you've seen it before you'll enjoy watching it again - I certainly do!


In case you missed the names of the positions for some reason (ummm...) they were:

1. The Butterfly
   
2. Side Saddle Cowgirl
3. Raised Missionary
4. Lazy Doggy
5. Reverse Spoon
6. Stand & Deliver
7. The Plough
8. Reverse Cowgirl
9. Classic 69
10. Reverse Stand & Deliver
11. Rocking Chair
12. Classic Doggie
13. The Crab
14. Classic Spoon
15. Classic Missionary
16. Wheelbarrow
17. The Clam
18. Underdog
19. The Craddle
20. The Pearl
21. Reverse Seated Cowgirl
22. The Cobra
23. The Side Dish
24. Extended Doggie
25. The Willow
26. The Toboggan
    

Whew. What a list! It's difficult to narrow it down, but out of these positions, I marked my all time favorites with a burning heart. Although #'s 12, 13, 15 (gotta love tradition) 17, 18 & 20 do it for me too, it depends upon a lot of other variables like, where you are, who you're with, state of mind and even time of day. For example, the Classic Spoon is the absolute best in the morning then roll into #18, then #23, then... well - can you think of a better way to wake up?

Jesus, this imaginary maneuvering is turning me on! I'm dying to know what your ideal choreography would be! Please, please Share!

Dionysos' Thiasos

I have a thing for Greek Mythology so from time to time I cannot help but to write about one of my favorite subjects outside of sex, art, sex, poetry, sex, lingerie, sex, world events, sex, and... well, you get the idea.

Dionysos and his Thiasos are a hedonistic bunch not unlike some friends I have! I realize my writing here is a little on the academic side, but it is my hope you will enjoy this introduction to a few of my favorite beings nevertheless!

"DIONYSOS : You, whoever you are,
man, woman or child:
I am Dionysos.
I ask only this:
accept."

from the play, Bursting the Grape; A Ritual for Dionysos by Paul Wignall, © August 2003
pic - from the play shows satyrs and Dionysos (in back) in his form of a bull

According to Greek authors, Dionysos first came into Greece as a stranger, (he was not of the original pantheon) and was mostly unrecognized (not acknowledged). However, his name is found in Mycenean (pre-Greek, Bronze Age) tablets and he later rose to popularity during the Sixth Century BC. Originally he was the god of vegetation, later of grapes and wine and even later of ecstatic ritual and the theatre.

The first hymn written of Dionysos is, of course, from the Homeric Hymns, (once singularly attributed to the Greek Poet, Homer, which is now considered to be false)and is roughly dated to have been written across a span of three centuries from the Eighth Century B.C. to the Fifth. Popular Dionysian 'themes' or 'stories' include his meeting Ariadne as told in Hesiod's Theogony, from the Seventh Century BC, the inciting of the Maenads to kill Pentheus as told by Euripides in his play, Bacchae from the Fifth Century BC (Bacchus is the common Roman name for the god - they also spelled Dionysos with a 'u' - Dionysus) and finally, the often visually depicted Triumph of Dionysos, in which the god travels to India and other lands.

There are several intriguing versions of Dionysos' birth but it is said he was born of Zeus and the mortal Semele. The greatest intrigue has to do with the conception of the god and there are many discrepancies as to how Semele became pregnant. One version tells of Zeus offering her a drink made from a lover's heart, another claims Zeus came to her in one of his many assumed forms. Either way, Hera (Zeus' wife) was extremely jealous of their love and tricked Semele into asking Zeus to sleep with her in his revealed godly form. When this happened Semele was smitten with a thunderbolt and died (being a mortal she could not endure divine presence)giving birth to Dionysos prematurely. Zeus then placed the fetus in his thigh and carried Dionysos to term. After birthing the god, Zeus entrusted him to the care of woodland nymphs to be raised.

The first depictions of the god show him as a stately, older bearded man in contemporary aristocratic Greek dress painted or etched on amphoras, hydrias and craters much like the image above. He is often shown wearing an ivy wreath, later the wreath consisted of grape leaves and sometimes grapes. He sometimes holds a large drinking cup or horn and occasionally holds a thyrsus (a staff topped with ivy or other vegetation). In early antiquity his thiasos (entourage and/or companions) consisted of satyrs and woodland nymphs.

By the time the Parthenon had been completed circa 300 B.C. the physical depiction of Dionysos changed greatly. On the east pediment he is shown in his new form, young, shaven, with soft musculature and nude much like the sculpture shown here from about the same time (this is a Roman copy from a Greek cast). (Note that on the frieze of the Parthenon he is shown in his classical physique. I would guess to say the frieze was sculpted prior to the pediment.)

Through the centuries the Dionysian Thiasos expanded greatly and included panthers, maenads, satyrs, humans and other wild animals. Around the mid Fourth Century B.C. Maenads replaced the nymphs and Dionysos was now sometimes shown wearing a leopard skin. Later he would acquire a new attribute, a panther. The Maenads were also sometimes shown wearing leopard skins and making an offering of a small deer or faun to the god. It is said that Dionysus loves the panther because it is the most excitable of animals and leaps like a Maenad.

It is unclear how the Maenads came into being. They may have evolved from groups of living Greek women who danced in ecstatic rites honoring Dionysos and were called maenads. (The Greek word, 'maenad' meaning 'mad women' and 'women transformed through worship of their god'.) Ancient artisans depicted both contemporary cults and mythical groups and it can sometimes be difficult to determine which is being depicted. One clue is if the women are looking at or interacting with Dionysos, or cavorting with satyrs it is likely they are mythical Maenads.

The image to the left is a relief sculpture which depicts a Maenad and a Satyr rocking a baby satyr.

Mythical Maenads were said to have magical powers; they could tap the earth with their thrysus and wine would flow, milk sprang forth from dirt when they scratched their fingers over it and from their thrysus honey dripped. They were protected by the muses and therefore they could not be pacified nor could their playing and dancing be quelled. They often wreaked great havoc because no one could resist them. Under the inspired intoxication of Dionysos they would dance in ecstatic frenzy and were said to have ripped small animals and even children in half. They were also the protectors of Dionysian ritual bringing wrath upon those who opposed the god. Pentheus, the king of Thebes, was torn apart limb by limb because of his opposition to the god and his rites. The image below is a relief sculpture depicting two ecstatic Maenads with a faun which has been torn in half.

The following image is the famous 'Skopas Maenad' depicting an ecstatic dancing Maenad. This is a Roman copy of a Greek cast by Skopas 340BC. This picture shows the statue as she would have looked painted.

One Handed Bra Removal

Yes friends, there really is an actual tutorial on how to unclasp a woman's bra. Being a woman, this simple gesture is so automatic I never thought of it as something worth mentioning. Of course, over the years I have had lovers who fumbled, but I always thought it was because the heat of the moment overwhelmed nimble fingers.

Actually, I enjoy the occasional fumble. It creates that little extra delay, makes me smile and gives me an excuse to look into my lovers eyes just when he may be feeling a boyish sheepishness which is a delightful expression on any man's face! Besides, I love to languish in the anticipation of what is to come!

My vote; fumble away! But, if you're not of the same leaning there's no need to fret. The good people at 'atomicwedgietv.com' have heeded the call and put together this informative tutorial suitable to mentor the worst bra clasp fumbler as well as the greenest novice! Soon, you will be slipping bras off women like... well... women.

i like my body when it is with your
body. It is so quite new a thing.
Muscles better and nerves more.
i like your body. i like what it does,
i like its hows. i like to feel the spine
of your body and its bones, and the trembling
-firm-smooth ness and which i will
again and again and again
kiss, i like kissing this and that of you,
i like, slowly stroking the, shocking fuzz
of your electric fur, and what-is-it comes
over parting flesh . . . . And eyes big love-crumbs,

and possibly i like the thrill

of under me you so quite new

ee cummings