Two Snapshots of Historical Desire

1. William Brown, during his 1726 conviction for attempted sodomy:

“I did it because I thought I knew him, and I think there is no Crime in making what use I please of my own Body.”

2. Amy Lowell’s 1919 poem for her female companion (“A Decade”):

When you came, you were like red wine and honey,
And the taste of you burnt my mouth with its sweetness
Now you are like morning bread,
Smooth and pleasant.
I hardly taste you at all for I know your savour,
But I am completely nourished.