The Siren and the Poet, by Jane Ellen Glasser

Siren with Poet, by Marc Chagall (French, b. Russia), 1967.

The Siren and the Poet

Resting his head against the flames of the
Siren’s tresses, the poet is beside himself. 
Who better to instruct him on the art of voice, 
so enchanting, sailors could not resist. 

A mermaid’s tail replaces the wings of myth.
Pearls grace her neck. The poet’s embrace 
lifts her from the ocean as if he must pull 
from his own depths the music of longing.

So like this Muse of the Lower World, 
the poet sets sail across time’s turbulent seas 
to discover , in spiritus, the right music and
words to connect beauty, love and death.

Jane Ellen Glasser

Jane Ellen Glasser’s poetry has appeared in journals, such as Hudson Review, Southern Review, Virginia Quarterly Review,and Georgia Review. In the past she reviewed poetry books for the Virginian-Pilot, edited poetry for the Ghent Quarterly  and Lady Jane’s Miscellany, and co-founded the nonprofit arts organization and journal New Virginia Review.  She won the Tampa Review Prize for Poetry 2005 for Light Persists and The Long Life won the Poetica Publishing Company Chapbook Contest in 2011. Her seventh poetry collection, “In the Shadow of Paradise,” is due out from FutureCycle Press in 2017. Her work may be previewed on her website: www.janeellenglasser.com