Love from Far Away, The

We have a hunger for the wet mud near rivers,

And for the black earth around growing carrots.

When Jaufre Rudel spoke of the love from far away,

He was already bathing his head in lion's blood.

He wasn't that crazy about freedom! He cried out,

"I want to be held prisoner by the Arabs!"

The mourning dove is so well named; its brief call

Rises out of Eternity on a thin ash branch;

And the mother reaches for her son in the silence.

As soon as the dove caught one glimpse of the Face,

The hollyhocks rooted themselves in the ground.

Only rooted oysters are able to produce pearls:

Swimmers who dive down to the pool floor see

Sunlight above them killing its bulls in the water. Joseph

Learned to breathe when strangers put him in a well.

"Cry out when your feet touch the bottom! We'll

Follow the bubbles down to where you are." Even

Beneath the water we can hear the mourning dove.

ROBERT BLY is the author of the bestseller Iron John, which launched the men's movement to national fame, as well as ten collections of poetry and, most recently, The Sibling Society. He lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

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