masks
the image is that
i wept in a dream, lover,
that you were there and not there.
but the truth is,
i mourned you while awake.
i mourned that i had never loved you.
that mask was made
of mother-of-pearl. it changed
in every light until one was bright enough
to heat it
to a shattering point.
a maskless clarity.
i looked at the shards
that filled my hands
and said your name.