I see it now—around you, in you,
The universe wound in strands of your hair,
Nebulas swirling like dust in your eyes,
The weight of stars in collision, turning,
Layer upon layer, woven through you
By a celestial loom—a tapestry.
I sense the unspoken weight of the past
In your softer touch—all that came, then left.

This truth must be love’s most guarded secret:
All that is, and all that ever will be,
Lies bound in all things—a great unity,
Unknown, unseen—until I held you.

Marbles of Mycenae gleam in your teeth;
I hear the clash of steel in your earrings.
No Khan, no Conqueror carried such steel
As this lowly stud, pinned firm to your ear.
You give it life—steel turned to orb of light.
How many cups of red wine have been drained
Through time to stain your lips this burgundy?

In your fingers, I see the golden bough;
Through them, death’s hollow hands reach ever out.
A thousand thousand wars were fought for you.
A thousand thousand deaths led me to you.