San Antonio by Naomi Shahib Nye

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Tonight I lingered over your name,
the delicate assembly of vowels
a voice inside my head.
You were sleeping when I arrived.
I stood by your bed
and watched the sheets rise gently.
I knew what slant of light
would make you turn over.
It was then I felt
the highways slide out of my hands.
I remembered the old men
in the west side café,
dealing dominoes like magical charms.
It was then I knew,
like a woman looking backward,
I could not leave you,
or find anyone I loved more

Comments

  1. AnonymousJune 19, 2008 at 3:44 PM

    I love that moment when she is lingering over the vowels of his name, like it's some exotic elixir and the image of all the highways sliding out of her hands. Perfection.

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousJune 21, 2008 at 10:30 AM

    Love this poem :-).

    ReplyDelete
  3. Di MackeyJune 21, 2008 at 1:56 PM

    Beautiful beautiful poem!

    ReplyDelete

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