one

The Darkness of the Night

The darkness of the night Reveals us in a light

We can't enjoy. Finding in you

The converse of my faults

I love you for the chasms which I lack Your hands, your smile, your self-deceits The way your conversation makes

A silence in the turning world.

My masks are warmth and feeling Yours are calm, stability.

I don't know who lies most

Or worse, but I won't trade.

Masks, if you wear them long enough,

Become the face.

Myself, I'm always acting

And yet I'm always me. I

Have no mystery.

Behind your conversation, gestures, eyes

My curious fingers search

And find a shell

You are your surfaces.

The darkness of the night appalls us

And we run to meet the day-

When busy shells are hidden in the sun.

CLAIR STERN