By Whatever Light

Things we don't want to disappear: what 
do we turn them into? The girl's father 

wanted to keep her safe, and watched as she turned 
into a tree. The one forbidden to show his true 

nature begged to shield his face from any kind 
of light. But the heart has a habit of pressing 

forward despite whatever obstacle—We've all been 
caught there, furtively dropping the oil of our desire 

on the beloved's shoulder. All for a glimpse of the self 
without adornment, without calculation or pretense.