"Alchemy" and "To Hephaestus" (two poems)

I couldn't stop myself. I had to share the other two. Consider them a matched trio. I'm particularly interested in this relationship right now, so I want others thinking about it, too, I suppose.

"Alchemy"

Tvbal Qayn
Tu’Bal Cain
Vul’can
Mighty man of fire
and alchemy.
Bender, shaper, tansmuter
of hardened steel
and supple gold.
Towering, hard,
sweaty, sooty, calloused,
bruised, burned and burnished.
Feared and outcast,
your gifts have two-edges.
Sword, plough, golden sash.
Her passion for you,
Her cooling quench –
These are Mysteries most won’t see.
How can Fire and Water love?

"To Hephaestus"

The iron weight of your
measured silence and step
might crush me,
though I’ve put my golden
suppleness intentionally
in your sights.
You owe me no tenderness,
no obligatory care.
I will not ensnare you.
… but …
How I long to hold you,
enfold you, caress you,
entice you, excite you, inspire you.
Oh, how I desire you!
The smallest touch is bliss,
but I am of the Ocean and
I want more.
Your light and fire and heat
to meet
my rush and flow and wave.
The lava and the sea foam –
Life’s Elixir –
for us to share.

Again, if you're interested in devotional poetry for Aphrodite, I highly recommend Crown of Violets, which contains the work of several poets and artists.