72 Be discrete

Reading:

Be discrete

Be discrete
When writing poetry about
The special charms of a loved-one,
Discretion is the better part of valour.
It’s true that the minutiae of glamour
Lie in the eye of the beholder
But when it comes to technical data, 
This belongs to the innamorata.
So while you can compare her
To a summer’s day let’s say,
Details of what lies under
That sunny exterior are better
Implied and not spelled out
Down to the last letter.

Vocabulary comes into it too.
So many paeans have been written
By poets smitten by female beauty
That the very words you
Want to use for some description - 
The shape and size of breasts
For instance - no longer do their duty
And are good only for exciting
Unseemly jests. You may even win
That year’s prize for bad sex writing. 
Better to have tossed it into the bin!
Metaphor is especially vulnerable
To unfortunate doubles-entendres. 
‘Gather ye rosebuds while ye may’
Can be read as merely wise prescription
In the pastoral of Robert Herrick’s day, 
But conjures senses unexpectedly profane
In the context of Citizen Kane.

So while it’s good that you should
Harbour such feelings, reticence
Is much to be preferred if you mean
To keep a literary reputation
Free from titillating imputation.
Best avoid the topic altogether.
Let your readers take on trust
That this or that adorable presence
Has the finest bust the world has seen. 
Write instead about the weather!