The Love That Dares To Speak Its Name
by James Kirkup
As they took him from the cross
I, the centurion, took him in my arms-
the tough lean body
of a man no longer young,
beardless, breathless,
but well hung.He was still warm.
While they prepared the tomb
I kept guard over him.
His mother and the Magdalen
had gone to fetch clean linen
to shroud his nakedness.I was alone with him.
For the last time
I kissed his mouth. My tongue
found his, bitter with death.
I licked his wound-
the blood was harshFor the last time
I laid my lips around the tip
of that great cock, the instrument
of our salvation, our eternal joy.
The shaft, still throbbed, anointed
with death’s final ejaculation.I knew he’d had it off with other men-
with Herod’s guards, with Pontius Pilate,
With John the Baptist, with Paul of Tarsus
with foxy Judas, a great kisser, with
the rest of the Twelve, together and apart.
He loved all men, body, soul and spirit – even me.So now I took off my uniform, and, naked,
lay together with him in his desolation,
caressing every shadow of his cooling flesh,
hugging him and trying to warm him back to life.
Slowly the fire in his thighs went out,
while I grew hotter with unearthly love.It was the only way I knew to speak our love’s proud name,
to tell him of my long devotion, my desire, my dread-
something we had never talked about. My spear, wet with blood,
his dear, broken body all open wounds,
and in each wound his side, his back,
his mouth – I came and came and cameas if each coming was my last.
And then the miracle possessed us.
I felt him enter into me, and fiercely spend
his spirit’s final seed within my hole, my soul,
pulse upon pulse, unto the ends of the earth-
he crucified me with him into kingdom come.This is the passionate and blissful crucifixion
same-sex lovers suffer, patiently and gladly.
They inflict these loving injuries of joy and grace
one upon the other, till they die of lust and pain
within the horny paradise of one another’s limbs,
with one voice cry to heaven in a last divine release.Then lie long together, peacefully entwined, with hope
of resurrection, as we did, on that green hill far away.
But before we rose again, they came and took him from me.
They knew what we had done, but felt
no shame or anger. Rather they were glad for us,
and blessed us, as would he, who loved all men.And after three long, lonely days, like years,
in which I roamed the gardens of my grief
seeking for him, my one friend who had gone from me,
he rose from sleep, at dawn, and showed himself to me before
all others. And took me to him with the love that now forever dares to speak its name.
Oops I think Minister for Justice Dermot Ahern will feel I’d be breaking the law he wishes to introduce!
In 1976 the poem above was published in the UK in Gay News and the paper was convicted of blasphemous libel for publishing it. The editor Denis Lemon was fined £500 and sentenced to nine months in prison suspended for 18 months. Dermot Ahern obviously wants to empower Irish Mary Whitehouses, and Pat Rabbitte ridiculously enough seems to agree with him albeit with less of a smack on the wrist.
Well friends send me your blasphemy – the queerer the better. I may even publish it…
And read Carol Coulter’s column on why the proposal is a load of rubbish.
(My friend the poet can close her mouth now – and maybe write a poem about the immaculate conception and the role of lesbian crones or something!)
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Second Day Blasphamy Round Up « The Clockwork Chartophylax // Apr 30, 2009 at 10:04
[...] Maman Poulet is organising a free-expression gym class by putting out a call for all the durty, filthy, god-offending material she can get. [...]
No blasphemy but wow, what a poem! My first time to read it.
I was wondering what was the impetus for this new law, but then I thought of some of the ‘characters’ hanging around Leinster House – Senator John Hanafin yesterday: a debate on the proposal could be useful in highlighting the “tyranny of the liberals, in particular Irish liberals who seem to be some of the most intolerant people in the world”.
Rónán Mullen rowed in too. Still waiting for Jimmy Walsh.
Beautiful poem – I am sure that we can get a dyke interpretation out of ‘fruit of thine womb’ …come on girls.
It all makes sense now. The Fianna Fail front bench are masochists. Not content with most of the country hating them because they can’t run the economy, they’ve now decided to annoy us in the religious and free speechs spheres as well.
P.
“Dermot Ahern obviously wants to empower Irish Mary Whitehouses”
Apart from the fact that only the state (the DPP) would be able to take cases under the proposed bill whereas currently the old bill allows anyone to take a case (1961) – though they would be unsuccessful as the only case taken in 1999 shows. I don’t support this legislation – its a lazy way of trying to avoid a referendum but can we stop with the shrill bull that its right wing catholics taking control of the state. Its just the typical approach to these issues across the divide of the oireachtas when it comes to issues which need a constitutional amendment.
*Sigh*. I’m going to have to come back amn’t I?
Did you go away GI? Did I miss something?
At least with “picturegate” the argument could be made (though I’m certainly not making it) that the whole thing was merely a bungled, ill-thought out, reactionary affair that had no concrete significance.
In this case we’re talking about cold, hard (ooer) legislation. We’re talking possible prosecution. Or INEVITABLE prosecution if the thing goes through in the form it currently appears to be taking.
We’re living in depressing times.
Fabulous – well, if you were ever going to publish a poem on your blog it was going to be a corker eh?
[quote](My friend the poet can close her mouth now – and maybe write a poem about the immaculate conception and the role of lesbian crones or something!)[/quote]
You know, I’m sure I have something along those lines but for now how about a bit of Catholic worship? Or should that be fetishisation?
For Mary
from a proddydog to a catlick
A great big lump of a girl, is that
Mary; said me Mam.
I saw you: heading home after
confession – in a state of grace; holy.
Loving our virginity and
link to the Lady you
serve I aspire even now to that
piety, that purity, that glow.
Lumpen prod, I follow the women who
serve, hoping some magic transfers.
Pissing (once more) Bishops: Let’s Get Blasphemous - Fustar - Recycling Cultural Waste Since 2005 // May 1, 2009 at 07:51
[...] so is my tiredness (I wrote this “last night? if you see what I mean). Off to bed with me. Send Suzy some of your most blasphemous, durtiest poems (the secret ones you hide in that box under the bed). [...]
Stephen Spillane - Friday Links - 1/05/09 // May 1, 2009 at 11:15
[...] Maman Poulet commits Blasphemous Libel [...]
The poem rocks. Again, someone has found a moral compass, if you’ve lost one, report to Maman Poulet! At so many levels, I’ve become incredulous on this point.
Can Ahern be that dumb that he thinks the costs of tying up the office of the AG/ Chief State Solicitor over this cac would be justified in this time of economic woe?
Can he be that dumb to think we don’t know about FF’s moral compass? It point at money and power. Look, I will not take any morality lessons from a party who took envelopes while people lived in poverty, who flagrantly allowed more than one leader to openly have a mistress at taxpayer expense, while denying rights of people to divorce, second relationships, contraception, etc.,etc. Open the box on this if you want to…
Can he really be that dumb that he thinks we’re not aware of a ‘tiny’ reluctance on his part to institute civil partnership legislation? Wouldn’t his efforts be better spent on that? Or anything else useful, like how to row a lifeboat from a sinking ship?
cearta.ie » Blasphemous rumours and constitutional amendments // Jan 4, 2010 at 10:10
[...] but not impossible – it’s unlikely that Atheist Ireland’s 25 quotes do so, though this poem has been found to be blasphemous, and questions have been seriously raised about this [...]