War, trade, religious debts to discharge, these are
mostly the reasons
for men’s distant journeyings: but you take pleasure
in distant journeys
without reason.
– St.-John Perse
we do not realize what we
want
until we learn
what we are willing to give
up for it
and you did God knows you did
when swimming was no longer
possible
you learned to sink you
learned
to live at the bottom of the
sea
now tell me of the chambers
where you sleep
tell me it does not matter
lie if you must
is your bed luminous is it
festooned
with seaweed do all your
narrow windows
open onto water
is the tide kind to you
forgive me if I do not
understand
last night a stranger asked
me what
gives you most pleasure and before I thought
I answered her revenge