THE SEEKER
I have sought you, my beloved, since the morning of the world.
Trembling with anticipation of what the flesh might teach,
In my Lemurian garden, fragrant with the mothers of hibiscus
and honeysuckle and succulent horsemint,
I knelt in white raiment and watched the unicorns
dancing in the valley
Until I heard you coming soft across the scented earth.
And I unlaced the sandals from your feet,
And bathed them with sweet oil of cloves and olives,
And dried them with the veil from my face.
I sought you, my beloved, on the steps of the Temple of Sriram.
With lyre and timbrel the procession of the faithful
Filled the air with vibrant tintinabular song.
You took my hand and joined me in the lighting of the sacred fire,
And clasped my fingers until noon had come.
I sought you, my beloved, by the waters of the Ganges,
Wet with the sacred river of desire and cold in the afternoon's decline.
But when you came, recognizing me, and choosing me from
among all the others,
You stroked the glistening droplets from my skin,
And warmed me with the strength of your arm.
I sought you, my beloved, through the streets of Lebanon,
In fear the evening feast I had prepared would grow too cold to satisfy.
But when you came, gently parting the curtains of my tent,
We tasted only of the dates, and of the eggs of doves,
And of each other.
I sought you, my beloved, in the Arcadian glen,
And found you, waiting, as always, for me alone.
Under the boughs of the myrtle, silvered by the moon's full glow,
We lay together, and watched the progress of the pole star
'cross the sky.
And should this flesh be burned away
Through crematoria holocaust of atomic supernova,
And I find myself thrust once more
To the black and trackless vacuum of the universe,
Released to elemental aimlessness again--
I shall seek you, my beloved,
Through the times and worlds to come,
Through the waking and the sleeping
Of the Day and Night of Brahma. |
