Why

 

Desiderium takes its name from the title of a short story about Gordon, a hotel concierge and art student, who becomes enthralled by Lois, a hotel guest, who each time he comes to her room appears in ever more sensual and alluring guises until he can no longer resist her.

Gordon sees her through the eyes of an artist at first, comparing her to women in paintings he has studied, and at first he thinks mainly of wanting to use Lois as a model to reproduce those works.  At first she is aloof and formal but gradually she appears increasingly approachable and sexual.  In the end, Gordon abandons painting, his hotel employment, and all dignity for the promise that she would see him again - not as a concierge but as a lover.

Desiderium means an ardent desire or longing, especially a feeling of loss or grief for something lost.  In Gordon's case, he loses himself to an ardent desire for Lois.  After all, the name Lois means "most desirable."

Titling this blog Desiderium seems appropriate since I plan to post occasional short stories, poems and thoughts about the art of writing, which is a passion of mine that never seems satiated.  I return to writing fiction and poetry over an over even though my dedication seems rarely appreciated or even noticed.  I wait, like Gordon, to be called to Lois' room.  I cannot do otherwise because I seek a thing that eludes me in part because I did not recognize early enough that I wanted it.

Why is a detail of Titian's Venus of Urbino pictured?  Read Desiderium and find out.