Centurion Hesitates at the Lake
This song celebrates the advent of women liberation. A Roman Centurion, a voyeur, learns there will be a group of young women bathing at a hidden lake early in the morning. He hides himself in the forest by the lake, expecting to see naked young women, but is startled to instead see them engaged in a strange dance in the waters, syncopated naked women, almost a ceremony. He becomes angered at this idea of women performing a powerful, purposeful act, and wants to charge down to break them up. But he can’t; he hesitates, stunned by this strange union.
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Centurion Hesitates at the Lake Lyrics
(Doyle/Kelley 2016)
Verse 1
Their arms raise above their blonde airs,
stretching their white breasts upward, make
two punctuated, spiral prayers
from each woman in the warm lake.
Chorus
You watch, watch, watch,
nine virgins, ten,
you watch, watch, watch,
seeing a strange zen.
Verse 2
This view from the forest is not
what you expected, so instead
of bathing women, you’ve now got
syncopated breasts, causing dread.
Chorus
You watch, watch, watch,
nine virgins, ten,
you watch, watch, watch,
seeing a strange zen.
Bridge
You never, never anticipated
all these arms and breasts are syncopated,
all these women are emancipated.
Verse 3
This lake dance has caused you to stop,
you would rather they were violent,
you want to charge down, but you stop,
you’re disquieted and silent.
Chorus
You watch, watch, watch,
nine virgins, ten,
you watch, watch, watch,
seeing a strange zen.
Ending
You’ve always believed
in the redeeming ascendency
of breasts,
now you’re left
disquieted and silent.
now you’re left
disquieted and silent.
Ward Kelley has seen his stories and poems appear in hundreds of journals world wide. He is a three-time Pushcart Prize nominee whose publication credits include such journals as: Plainsongs, Karamu, Another Chicago Magazine, Strange Horizons, Spillway, GSU Review, Rattle, The Chaffin Journal, Midstream, Zuzu’s Petals, Ginger Hill, Sunstone, Pif, Whetstone, Melic Review, Thunder Sandwich, Potpourri and Skylark. The recipient of the Nassau Review Poetry Award for 2001, Kelley is also the author of “histories of souls,” a poetry collection, and he has an epic poem, “comedy incarnate” on CD and CD ROM.
Kelley holds a Masters of Creative Writing. He published two novels “Divine Murder” and “Keenly Alive, Tony.” He also published two management theory books, “Warehouse Productivity” (2005Distribution Group, New York NY), and “Zen of Warehouse Management” (2005Distribution Group, New York NY), under the name Pat Kelley.
history of souls – 2nd Edition
Histories of Souls Paperback
Divine Murder: A theological science fiction/fantasy
Gnarled Bones Album
