Captivating — Summary

reedjoseph7Romantic

What is it in your eyes that Causes me to pause and reflect Always tempted to look longer than comfortable Like easing into a deeper end A tide pulls at me What in your voice makes me lean in closer? The rhythm of phrases and inflections Something soothing and infectious Dazzled and left stammering, I listen intently And how you flow, (For "move" is too mundane a word) It is as if you are constantly in dance When you stand, when you walk When you rise or recline And I want to learn, and mirror every motion Captivating I am like a prisoner Yet, set free by your presence Pulled toward wonder Ever evolving combinations of beauty and complexity All held together in quiet grace In you

Show the whole poemHide the poem

Learn Poems app

Try the Learn Poems app

Everything from the website trainer, and more: new exercises, voice recording and sharing, reminders, quick review.

"Captivating" is a love poem about being completely taken in by another person. The speaker begins with questions: what is it about this person's eyes, or voice, that makes them stop and lean closer? Looking at those eyes feels like wading into deeper water, and the speaker can feel a tide tugging at them. Listening leaves them dazzled and stammering.

Midway through, the speaker turns to how the person carries themselves. "Move" is called too ordinary a word, because everything this person does, from standing to walking to reclining, seems like dancing. The speaker wants to learn it and mirror it. The poem's central idea is a neat contradiction: the speaker feels like a prisoner, yet also set free. Being held by someone's presence turns out to be freeing.

The mood is warm, hushed and admiring. The short, unrushed lines and the final phrase, "quiet grace / In you," give it a calm, reverent feel rather than an anxious one.

Read also

More by reedjoseph7

All poems
Romanticreedjoseph7

Kiss

Lips that fade That crack, that bleed That chap, that grey That melt away
Cheerfulreedjoseph7

Cold

This cold clings to me Embracing every aspect of me Squeezing out my rational thoughts Forcing me into blankets and bundles
Contemplativereedjoseph7

Field

In my home I'll have a garden Planted with furrows of seeds Mustard greens, tomatoes, radishes and turnips Mesquite stakes to train vines