Memories at Twilight

[miyako73]

Between us is obscured
By the vast distance
And obstructed
By the distortion of light;
You, in the garden,
A miracle of symmetry,
Are intoxicated
By the last colors of spring,
And I, on the patio,
A glutton of your existence,
Am aroused
By the angles of your quiet grace.


Your curves are the silhouettes
Of the geisha
In the dim-lit room
After I pulled her kimono;
The weight of your movement
Is as light as the dollar bill
I let go to land
On her willing bosoms;
Your blush in many nuances
Is the shy glow
Of her powdered hands
Gently pushing my shoulders.


I can see the tinge of age
And the hint of contentment
In your slow dancing
As you play with the blossoms;
You spend more time
On each flower
And on every leaf
As if to say goodbye.
If today is your last afternoon
And if you want to see me again,
Come back as a moth—
I am blind at night.

[108 fountains]

Myako 73, I don't go to the poetry section every day and I don't read all of your poems, but I enjoy the poems of yours that I do read, and I especially like this one. The images are great. I like the movement from the garden to the geisha massage and back to the garden. At first I thought the "you" in the poem was a man, then I thought it was a woman, then I realized it didn't matter. I didn't realize the image in the first stanza was that of a butterfly until I read the last stanza and then I got that "Ah-ha!" moment, which made this reading special to me.

[Buh4Bee]

I read it as a kind of humorous poem in regards to the conflict of the admirer's delight over the older woman, but at the same time repelled by her faded youth. The light plays an illusion and makes her appear appealing. But it is her spirit that the admirer finds so attractive.

And I, on the patio,
A glutton of your existence,
Am aroused
By the angles of your quiet grace.


But the admirer doesn't want to look at her reality.

And if you want to see me again,
Come back as a moth—
I am blind at night.

I don't think the gender of the admirer matters, but I read it as a heterosexual relationship.