I felt its presence 
envelop me slowly,
entering through pores
seeping into thoughts and dreams
churning in my belly
thumping in my sternum.
In the before, I would move away,
side-step, run, 
dance around the edges,
feign indifference,
anything not to risk feeling devoured by absence.
Neither time nor escape nor transformation
have quieted the call for a holy surrender.

There are too many echoes
in the chambers of my mind,
too many losses in my life,
too much love in my heart,
to contemplate, or grieve, or love, alone.

Speak to me, please,
in your mother tongue
so I may know the pleasure 
of the sound of another, 
of the sound of you.
Engage me,
seduce me, 
with words and tones.
Describe other worlds and ways
existing alongside this one.
Then, show me
with your body
a new dance of reciprocity.