I took a train to Naples
To see the Farnese Hercules
A hero of Hellenistic proportions
A marble bear, tired
Resting his weight on a club
My professor told me the statue
Didn’t work. That if it were real
The club would fall, and him too
“He just couldn’t stand like that
It’s not proportionally sound”
But above those two firm buttocks
Clutched like my chin
By the older man who
Served me espresso after sex
The real prize, tenderness
Three ripe apples, palmed
You’d miss them from the front
First glance
Crane your neck, move your feet
Hercules makes you ask
For the sweetness in labor
Wonder where it hides
Blush when you find it
Wait for it to cool
Take a sip
Look me in the eye
Before swallowing