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Egon Schiele, "Death and girl" (1915) |
What if I lost all those things
Humor, wit, beauty
What if I lost it all
And there was nothing left of me
And what if I were just a corpse
And what if I were less than that
Would you still love me
Would you tunnel into the ground
Until the sun came out
So that you could have my body to hold
What if the sun were gone
Would you hold my body in the dead of night
Once he did
Once he did hold my body in the dead of night
If I forgot him then, will I forget him still
If I always loved him, will I love again
Dark night that is always calling
My body is thin paper to the air
We call conversation
Dark language
My body is dark red paper tonguing
The sun of the grave that I am in
Will you go tunneling through my grave
To find the setting sun
Will you go through my grave to get to another sun
One that is deep and blue
And fiery
Dorothea Lasky (1978). Columbia Poetry Review, no.24. Chicago: Columbia College Chicago, 2011.