​
Denuded: A Series
by E.E. Curtis
​
de-nude
verb | de-nude | \de-n(y)ood/
to strip of all covering; to lay bare
Softly
come to me
like you do in my dreams
Tenderly
touch parts of me
you can’t see
Light
breath on my skin
fingertips that brush
Quiet
you whisper
lips close to my ear
Dream softly with me
In my arms
fall asleep
Lover's Lullaby
She sits
Exposed
Naked she can feel
soft air
the coolness of the room
complete freedom of skin
She loves the same way
Stripped down
Visible and unprotected
Naked soul feels
deeply
completely
It’s ok if it ends
or it doesn’t
Exposed
she feels
she loves
Exposed
Falling
I come to you
adrift in dreams
Descending
There’s no way to stop the pull
like moon and ebb tide
Suspended
I wait for the day
I can settle in your arms
Present
Not a fleeting vision
of the mind
Dreaming of you
I fall asleep
in love
Falling Asleep
He is a wild animal
no one can approach
With everyone else
Full stance
Fierce gaze
He intimidates
With her, he shows himself
She sees the back of the man,
his most exposed state
Gently she runs her fingers along his spine
He trusts her
all fear laid aside
With deft fingers she pulls apart his knots
Wildly free he is bound to her
Like a bird that must fly
Untethered
he soars
Released
One loved her enough not to let go
One loved her enough that he did
Severing ties completely, like death
She lives half alive
An empty shell
Soul split by two
With great love, great pain
Choices made, she survives
And she hates that she loves
She hates that
She loves
She Loves
There is a certain nonchalance
She goes through the motions
as she combs her hair
His absence
as physical as his body was
Combing, she remembers
His face reflected
The way her heart, with his
centered
She swallows disappointment like a sore throat
Life goes on
And she goes out
And he goes out
But no longer
together
Going Out
He turned away
He thought it
the better way
Unwillingly, willingly
Paralyzed in this fight
against himself
His will is strong
But he feels weak
With his back turned to her
He loves still
He loves
He Loves
I wait for you
though you
will never come
I wish to stop wanting what I don’t already have
I wish to want what I have enough
It’s damning
this waiting
It’s forever stagnant
forever wishing
Maybe when you’re able to come it will be too late.
One day
I will go out
and stop looking for you everywhere I go
And we will no longer wait to be
together
Waiting
A note:
I wrote these poems as pairs. You will get the most out of them if you read them as sets.
Please try reading horizontally across each set of poems by line/stanza to get a greater depth of meaning.
The Art​
Lover's Lullaby: Art by James McNeill Whistler, c. 1891, "Nude Model Standing", lithograph in brown on wove paper print
Falling Asleep: Art by John Singer Sargent, 1918-1919, "Falling Male Nude", charcoal on paper drawing
Exposed: Art by William Merritt Chase, "Study of Flesh Color and Gold", 1888, pastel on paper drawing
Released: Art by William Merritt Chase, "Back of a Male Figure", oil painting
She Loves: Art by William Merritt Chase, 1901, "Nude", oil on canvas painting
He Loves: Art by Giovanni Francesco Barbieri, 1591-1666, "Seated Nude Boy Seen from the Back", pen and black ink and black chalk on brown laid paper
Going Out: Art by Albert Besnard, 1887, "Nude Girl Combing Her Hair", etching with roulette on wove paper
Waiting: John Singer Sargent, 1895, "Study of a Seated Man", transfer lithograph in black on laid paper print