After Reading This Rilke Translation: David Whyte’s You Darkness

After Reading This Rilke Translation: David Whyte’s You Darkness

But darkness holds it all:

the shape and the flame,

the animal and myself,

how it holds them,

all powers, all sight—

                                                Rainer Maria Rilke

                                                You Darkness

While I sleep I don’t

eat (and between me

and the deep water

that accommodates me) I see

my true face on the liquid

shellac that, on the limits

of its hardening, still absorbs

the color of the water

and the color of the sky.

Behind me a V of geese

vanish completely.  One

drop of rain and then

one more fall past and

catch and finally having

enough weight on 

push through.  While I

sleep it is ok to be the

rain waiting it is ok to eat

nothing and still be ok. 

It is ok to see the water

and watch it without

stirring it or needing

to.  It is ok to want to be

completely

alone and break

away from memory

and memory yet to be

and say this

is just a moment so like

so many other moments

and it doesn’t depend

on me being

anything, even a body

that has to move

that must take food

that must walk or run

or swim

that must lie down

and sleep

nightly

and that sleep, it’s ok

to say, is what today I depend on

the most

being tired and cold and going

on close to fifty

yes while I sleep I don’t need

to do anything and it is ok

to say

isn’t it?

while the shellac is still

liquid enough that I’ll wait

awhile before letting myself

fall through and into,

awake,

the coming of the day.