A Short History Of Pornography

[poliphilo]

The reference to Pokemon cards dates it......

A SHORT  HISTORY OF PORNOGRAPHY

 

The Greeks went in for some really hardcore

Tableware. They had plates and beakers
Painted with well buff, grinning, big boys

Doing it every whichaway

To common whores with frizzy hairdos.

 

Not a whole lot of respect for women

There one feels.

                             
                        But some of it’s sweet

This lovely couple- with her on top-

Look equal, and they’re having fun,

Gazing into each other’s eyes.

I’d have no qualms about eating my bread

And grapes off them.

 

                                      The Romans painted

Scenes of congress on dining room walls

Where women, kids and servants could see ‘em.

I call that civilised.

 

                             When Pompeii

Was dug from its tufa the dilettanti

Kept all the good stuff out of sight.

And traded phalloi and dinky statues

And prints of the same in small editions

Like Pokemon cards.

 

                             And only men

With properly elevated minds

(Which meant, in practice, a private income)

Were in on the game.

 

                             I proffer “cum”

To my search engine and after a handful

Of jolly sites in devotional Latin,

We’re into the good old bizarre bazaar-

A billion pictures of what you like,

But none, I think, painted on crockery.

 

If I had kids I could put a lock

On the engine, keep their scrabbling minds

From the fundamentals.

 

                             When I was a kid

I’d scrape up my peas and potato to get

At the bunnykins pattern underneath.

Just think how big an incentive your Greek

Or Roman kid had to clear its plate.

Comments

[wolfshift.livejournal.com]

Hmm, that would make dinner time awfully interesting!

It occurs to me that it would probably also provide a natural opportunity for parents to teach children about "the birds and the bees".

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

Yes.

The ancients weren't hung up on the mechanics of sex. And I don't believe they entertained our rather ridiculous and counter-intuitive views about childhood innocence.

[veronica-milvus.livejournal.com]

That's good! My friends from "Prole" magazine would welcome that for publication, I am sure!

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

Thanks.

I believe it's already been published somewhere- it's got an asterisk against it in the file- but I forget who took it.

[veronica-milvus.livejournal.com]

LOL. I am not surprised somebody wanted that one. I keep a spreadsheet of all the poems I send away for publication, and of how they all get sent back, rejected. :-(

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

It's a long hard grind trying to get noticed as a poet......

[tispity.livejournal.com]

I really enjoyed this. Thanks for sharing it!

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

I'm glad you like it.

[pondhopper.livejournal.com]

Absolutely delightful, Tony!
I love your sense of keeping things in perspective.
:)

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

Thanks

[sovay]

I still like this one.

Just think how big an incentive your Greek
Or Roman kid had to clear its plate.

Hee.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

Thanks. :)

[red-girl-42.livejournal.com]

I love it! Thanks for sharing!

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

Glad you like it. :)

[huskyteer.livejournal.com]

Oh, I love the ending.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

Thanks.