Love Poems (New Directions Paperbook)

And so you see, my love,

how I move

around the island,

around the world,

safe in the midst of spring,

crazy with light in the cold,

walking tranquil in the fire,

lifting your petal

weight in my arms

as if I had never walked

except with you, my heart,

as if I could not walk

except with you,

as if I could not sing

except when you sing

and when a leaf

falls

from the climbing vines,

you know, my love,

what name is written

on that leaf,

a name that is yours and mine,

our love name, a single

being, the arrow

that pierced winter,

the invincible love,

the fire of the days

and that we grow together

and flower together

ah my love, ah my own,

in me all that fire is repeated,

in me nothing is extinguished or forgotten,

my love feeds on your love, beloved,

and as long as you live it will be in your arms

without leaving mine

we shall always be alone,

we shall always be, you and I,

alone upon the earth

But I love your feet

only because they walked

upon the earth and upon

the wind and upon the waters,

until they found me.

Flower of sweet total light,

bring to my call your mouth of kisses,

violent from separations,

resolute and delicate mouth.

Lodge me at your back, oh shelter me,

appear to me in your mirror, suddenly,

upon the solitary, nocturnal pane,

sprouting from the dark behind you.

My love,

we have found each other

thirsty and we have

drunk up all the water and the blood,

we found each other

hungry

and we bit each other

as fire bites,

leaving wounds in us.

I have slept with you

all night long while

the dark earth spins

with the living and the dead,

and on waking suddenly

in the midst of the shadow

my arm encircled your waist.

Neither night nor sleep

could separate us.