for esperanza and michael, october 17, 1999
lovers know the
truth––
in the sunlight,
in the starlight,
in the candlelight.
artists practice
the truth;
carve the truth;
craft the
truth.
what beauty is
possible, then,
when artists make
love?
how sensitive their
hands.
how bright their
eyes.
how much they
know,
about life ...
about love.
no doubt, artists
invented beauty &
artist-angels
created the loving
undulations of the
human form.
teach us how
to love––
show us the blazing
expressions of the sun;
the subtle rhythms
of the moon.
teach us to
love like naked
indians in the dark
green jungle;
like jaguars. give
us thrones &
palaces & four-posted
beds like kings &
queens in camelot.
make our hearts so
big & red & luminous
that we’ll never
lose them. give us laughing
shapes and fur, if you
want to.
but don’t forget to teach us
how to love like artists––
we want to feel everything;
we want to breathe as
freely as the sky;
to hold forever in
our arms; to taste
perfection.