Nymphology
Let's workshop this poem about a man's conflict between his artistic calling and his sexual engagement with nymphette Lolitas who, even while in his stranglehold, enjoy more power than it might seem
Nymphology He was like a plant needing fire to propagate its seeds: devotion to art had him vigilant about where he came (how could he raise a kid?), but with feral teenyboppers growling succubi stares (daring him to edge the choke closer to murder) he could never pull out.
"Nymphology" presents a visceral exploration of the entanglement between artistic devotion and destructive desire. The metaphor of the man as a plant needing fire to propagate its seeds underscores the paradox of creation and destruction, where his artistic drive is intertwined with a dark, consuming passion. His vigilance "about where he came" signals a self-awareness of the consequences of his actions, particularly the potential to create life—a responsibility he feels unprepared to handle. Yet, this awareness is overshadowed by his inability to resist the allure of "feral teenyboppers," whose "succubi stares" represent an overpowering temptation that drives him to the brink of moral collapse. The repeated failure to "pull out" is not just a literal failure (he does indeed bust bigtime loads in all these "teenyboppers") but a metaphorical one, symbolizing his inability to detach from the perilous edge where his art and his desires meet. The poem, therefore, delves into the destructive side of creative passion, where the line between creation and annihilation blurs, leading to a complex and dangerous interplay of impulses that the speaker finds himself unable to escape. Through stark and provocative imagery, "Nymphology" questions the costs of artistic devotion when it is entangled with unrestrained and potentially ruinous desires.
Nymphology poem, artistic devotion, destructive desire, creation and annihilation, succubi stares, feral teenyboppers, moral collapse, creative passion, temptation and danger, M. A. Istvan Jr., poetic exploration, dark impulses, self-awareness, provocative imagery, artistic struggle.