Le Chat Noir

A sinuously feline contradiction of feral fur-musk and warmly beckoning ember-spices. Come, superb cat, to my amorous heart; Hold back the talons of your paws, Let me gaze into your beautiful eyes Of metal and agate. When my fingers leisurely caress you, Your head and your elastic back, And when my hand tingles with the pleasure Of feeling your electric body, In spirit I see my woman. Her gaze Like your own, amiable beast, Profound and cold, cuts and cleaves like a dart, And, from her head down to her feet, A subtle air, a dangerous perfume Floats about her dusky body. — William Aggeler, The Flowers of Evil (Fresno, CA: Academy Library Guild, 1954) Art: Théophile Steinlen, poster advertising a tour of Le Chat Noir 's troupe of cabaret entertainers, 1896