Skip to content

Rapture I can feel she has got out of bed. That means it…

“Rapture I can feel she has got out of bed. That means it is seven a.m. I have been lying with eyes shut, thinking, or possibly dreaming, of how she might look if, at breakfast, I spoke about the hidden place in her which, to me, is like a soprano’s tremolo, and right then, over toast and bramble…” quote by Galway Kinnell
Download Open image
““ Rapture I can feel she has got out of bed. That means it is seven a.m. I have been lying with eyes shut, thinking, or possibly dreaming, of how she might look if, at breakfast, I spoke about the hidden place in her which, to me, is like a soprano’s tremolo, and right then, over toast and bramble jelly, if such things are possible, she came. I imagine she would show it while trying to conceal it. I imagine her hair would fall about her face and she would become apparently downcast, as she does at a concert when she is moved. The hypnopompic play passes, and I open my eyes and there she is, next to the bed, bending to a low drawer, picking over various small smooth black, white, and pink items of underwear. She bends so low her back runs parallel to the earth, but there is no sway in it, there is little burden, the day has hardly begun. The two mounds of muscles for walking, leaping, lovemaking, lift toward the east—what can I say? Simile is useless; there is nothing like them on earth. Her breasts fall full; the nipples are deep pink in the glare shining up through the iron bars of the gate under the earth where those who could not love press, wanting to be born again. I reach out and take her wrist and she falls back into bed and at once starts unbuttoning my pajamas. Later, when I open my eyes, there she is again, rummaging in the same low drawer. The clock shows eight. Hmmm. With huge, silent effort of great, mounded muscles the earth has been turning. She takes a piece of silken cloth from the drawer and stands up. Under the falls of hair her face has become quiet and downcast, as if she will be, all day among strangers, looking down inside herself at our rapture.””

Galway Kinnell

About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The narrator experiences an intense, almost dream‑like intimacy, blending waking perception with sensual reverie.

In simple terms: He describes a vivid, intimate moment with a lover.

Key Takeaway

Embrace the intensity of present sensations.

Themes

intimacy desire dream‑state sensuality

Mood

evocative intense

Type

poetic sensory

When to use this quote

  • romantic encounter
  • morning routine
  • sensory detail

Key Concepts

psychological immersion bodily awareness

Questions to Reflect On

  • What does this intimacy reveal about desire?
  • How does the dream‑like tone affect perception?
A Different Perspective

The passage may blur consent and agency, raising ethical concerns.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet

More by Galway Kinnell

Explore all 46 Galway Kinnell quotes

More Black white quotes

Browse all 444 Black white quotes