Monday, September 10, 2007

The Lovers



In Mantua a busy building crew
unearthed another Neolithic grave,
which in itself is surely nothing new,
and this was like most others, save
that this one was inhabited by two.

Two who must have loved each other, by
the look of them together; they embrace--
their bones--like living people where they lie,
her slender fingers cradling his face,
his arm around her in a long goodbye.

Posed thus, they lie in state, our own,
youths, dead before their teeth were worn,
dead, but not by stick and not by stone,
whom ancient spirits thought it right to mourn
with the lovely interweaving of their bones.

Whether sacrificed or dead by chance,
they never thought to see the sky again,
could never ken their present circumstance,
but we see in them a talisman,
the dancers folded to become the dance.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Just beautiful.
..."never thought to see the sky again"
..."dancers folded"
You do such lovely word carving.

Unknown said...

They never sought to see the sky for each saw the sky in the other's eye.
I've always found this such an intriguing photograph, the possibility for stories abounds.