A Man And A Woman Sit Near Each Other

A Man And A Woman Sit Near Each Other

by Robert Bly

A man and a woman sit near each other. They do not long to be older, or younger, nor to be born in any other country, nor any other time. They are content to be where they are, talking or not talking. Their breaths together feed someone whom we do not know. The man sees the way his thumbs move and his other fingers; he sees her fingers curl around a book that she hands to him. They are obedient to a third body they share in common. They have made a promise to love that body. Austerity may come, parting may come, or death. A man and a woman sit near each other, and their breaths together feed someone whom we do not know, whom we know of, but have never seen.

Copyright © Robert Bly