La Pudizia

 

A poem dedicated to 'La Pudizia,' also known as 'Veiled Truth,' by Antonio Corradini, 1750, completely carved out of marble, even the veil.

O dear one, let our love
divide the difference
into the difference
until the remainder is zero.
Move beyond oneness.
Become the light of beauty
in my eyes.
In this calculus of devotion
you are the curve,
I am the asymptote.
Now cover your face with the veil
of a secret joy.
Know what to share and
what to hide.
Wait for the kiss
of the lover who brings a rose
from a garden whose colors
have never been seen in this world.
One breath releases a fragrance
called 'Death.'
In your chest the petals fall away.
Flirt with that nameless inhalation
who leads you inward
toward the bridal chamber.
Everything will be explained
in an ecstasy.
This is where Christ met Mary,
not the mother, not the friend,
but the paramour.
Moons ripen here.
Suns drown in the chaos
of the ordinary.
Between her breasts, a valley
running with tears.
Believe me when I tell you,
she understood it all,
The discipline of nakedness.
How you must wait and wait
until stars touch.
Until distance awakens
as a single eye.
Until darkness catches fire.