Questions

I would like to lean with you on a dune
overlooking the voluptuous sea, and ask
what wind called you to this place?
Was it hunger, or a song?
What are the worlds you left behind?
Have you ever known a paradise?
Could you tell it to me now?
What pleasures do you count living here?
What foods are most delicious,
what aromas most divine?
How do you prefer the shape of the moon?
Do the seasons hold equal beauty,
is there one you favor more?
Who did you trust
riding through your tender years?
Do you envy the bliss of others,
or long for it,
equal to your own?
What do you court, worship,
gather to hold dear?
In my mind I'd like to kiss you,
but I'd ask these questions first.

~Ingrid Goff-Maidoff

from What Holds Us