And Then to You
All the hands
Feeding the poor beggars on the street;
Replaced by your fingers of beauty;
Lifting to heaven.
Clouds, white and misty;
Soothe the heart of the hard mind.
A music box smoothens the edges;
And curves of fine wool string touch the rainbow.
When I need the power of my academia;
When I float in the water of dreams.
I surf your cool wave of literati;
The world is well.
Oxygen and carbon dioxide;
Unite in my dexterity and complexity.
A zone of simplicity comes;
I call to you, dear heart.
All pollutants become holy.
All holy items become organic.
I would live one day;
Without you. And I want to see.
About This Poem
This love poem explores how connection with another person transforms one's entire perception of reality. The beloved's "fingers of beauty" replace charitable acts—suggesting that love itself becomes the highest form of compassion. The poem moves through a series of transformations: hard minds soften, sharp edges smooth, the academic and the dreamlike merge into a "cool wave of literati." The imagery blends the scientific (oxygen and carbon dioxide, dexterity and complexity) with the mystical (pollutants becoming holy, holy items becoming organic), suggesting love dissolves categories and hierarchies. The most striking moment comes in the final lines: "I would live one day; / Without you. And I want to see." This ambiguous ending could be read as curiosity about independence, a test of the relationship's necessity, or perhaps an acknowledgment that love's transformative power can only be fully appreciated by experiencing its absence. Written in March 2000, this poem captures the idealism and intensity of young love while maintaining an intellectual sophistication in its imagery and structure.