As a boy, I waited
for the smile to appear in you.
Listened for echoes of the sigh I could hear
in you.
You are the mirror where
I have sought the beloved:
Her hyacinth tresses, a nod, a wink, a tear,
in you.
In the marketplace,
you can learn your future for a price.
They are merchants of fate; I see the seer
in you.
What had been buried
under the scripture’s weight,
Its truth—without words or incense—becomes
clear in you.
They who bind you on
the altar of sacrifice
Hide behind masks; don’t let them smell the
fear in you.
As I approach the house
lit by dawn’s blue light,
Step by step, I lose myself, I disappear in
you.
