California gubernatorial contender Eric Swalwell once wrote a bold and sexually explicit poem during his college years, wherein he described passionate lovers “kissing until a blood vessel burst and burst,” leading to “blood running down my chin.”
The Democrat, who is currently campaigning for governor, composed this provocative piece at age 19 while enrolled at Campbell University. There, he contributed to the literary magazine The Lyricist and penned a column for the student newspaper, as noted by a report.
Entitled “The Hangover in Burgundy,” the poem paints a vivid scene of two people meeting atop a hotel, engaging in “shapeless and spectacular” intimacy, marked by “violent movements of limbs and nails.” The narrator appears to relish the experience of being bitten.
“While I was screaming/She curled her lips against mine,” one line reads, further detailing how they “kissed until the veins implode and burst… For a bound mouth cannot speak of parting.”
Swalwell further elaborates, saying, “There was a formless, majestic beauty. A storm of limbs and claws. She ran after me, and I ran after her, and she ran after me.”
“She halted on the hotel roof while I got dressed and tried to tan. She bit my arm as I was worried. My scar is beautiful,” he recalls.
In another part of the poem, he writes, “She kissed me until my veins engulfed and burst, and I kissed her until blood ran down my chin, because you can’t talk about separation with a bound mouth.”
Morning comes, and he reflects on waking up beside the silhouette of a striking woman, describing her disheveled appearance and dry lips, both sighing in unison.
In response to inquiries from a report, a spokesperson downplayed the decades-old poem as youthful indiscretion, humorously adding, “If you think 18-year-old Eric’s poetry is bad, you should see his diary from age 12.”
While Swalwell has courted controversy with his poetry, he also faced critiques for a 2014 op-ed in which he seemingly expressed sympathy for convicted criminals like Mumia Abu-Jamal and Leonard Peltier, two highly contentious figures in American criminal justice.
Abu-Jamal was sentenced for the 1981 murder of a Philadelphia police officer, and Peltier for the 1975 murders of two FBI agents. Both cases have seen long-standing support from activists who argue they faced political persecution, and have sparked significant debate regarding law enforcement perspectives.
As Swalwell, previously a prosecutor, pursues high office, these past writings are back in the spotlight, with opponents wondering how his youthful expressions relate to his current role in the criminal justice system.
But it’s not just the poetry raising eyebrows. From 2011 to 2015, Swalwell was in contact with Christine Huang, identified by U.S. intelligence as a suspected Chinese agent linked to various politicians.
Reportedly, Huang assisted Swalwell in fundraising for his 2014 campaign and aided in placing an intern in his congressional office.
In 2015, congressional investigators informed Swalwell about Huang’s alleged connections to China’s Ministry of State Security, prompting him to sever ties.
Swalwell was not accused of any wrongdoing; an investigation concluded with no action in 2023. However, he was later removed from the House Intelligence Committee by then-Speaker Kevin McCarthy, due to national security concerns.
The Post has reached out for Swalwell’s comments.
