Getting Outside Patriarchy

Our distances are intimate, We grow vast in our silences. In freedom we have blossomed, Not having thwarted one another. How unrestricted are our movements: We have never tried to trim each other to size. You come back, asynchronious, Twisted by your concourse with others. I react to your divergences. How we have fought, With no holds barred Tearing at each other fiercely, Until our brains nearly exploded. Then, all anger spent, Not one word or hit, left unstruck, We gaze at each other mutely- Astonished at the devastation Each has wrought on the other. Standing forlorn amidst the debris of our selves, We heal, and once again Stretch towards each other, All our crooked places straightened. We are the enemies of each other's egos Ruthless in hunt; Thus we destroy and recreate each other ceaselessly. Yet our eyes talk and understand The subtle signals of love, The open smile of happiness Wrapping the other in a warm embrace. Indeed, our gestures are complete. My curses have failed. The blows that I struck you Drained me of all violence. Even memories have lost their sting. Instead, eternal be my blessing Overflowing all the harsh sayings, Washing them away like loose dirt. So go, you are not mine- Prosper and flower wherever you are. And yet stay, Grow strong and straight Like a companion eucalyptus, Tall and elegant, And restless in the breeze. [From The Serene Flame]