Ten Thousand Cubits

When the great tower fell

And our tongues became tied

I stood on the crest of a rolling sadness

I watched you go

Knowing I would see you again

I cried out as you fell

And I remained.

When the wheel of life comes round again

I hear its song sometimes

I cannot remember all the names but I feel the weight

I let you go

Yet still I wait for you:

Your brother, your jailor,

Your lover, your gardener

When we lose our way

Is when I find your face

All our efforts ensnare us—but see how pain becomes us!

I cast you away

But I send for you now

Though time, instead, answers me

Pale shadow of paling memory

When I am alone

Perhaps, I see you everywhere

The selfsame flicker in your eyes that lights the world

I gave you up

But I never released you

Now my steps are yours

My labored breath, your own

That I should be your still reflection!

Then let me steer by the flickering of your heart

How the great men in their great towers bore me so.

Yours is the tiller my hand grips but lightly

And cautious is the flash of your smile

Until at last the misted shore is revealed

Until crossing over, I greet you again.