By SHARON DOLIN
—after Rilke
Yours, still the hardest face to see—
even the mirror lies, with your image
in reverse. To see into your life
you must look into the life of things:
take this brass candelabra shaped
into a circular set of stairs that,
when lit, sees into you, seizes
hold of your brokenness and
shows you all growth starts
with a wound. Think of the earth
in spring, split open by green shoots.
Now think of the green in you
forcing its way up through routine
doubt into the blaze of the possible.
Sharon Dolin is the author of seven poetry books, most recently Imperfect Present; a memoir entitled Hitchcock Blonde; and two books of translation, most recently Late to the House of Words: Selected Poems, by Gemma Gorga. Her third book of translations, Voyage to the Center, will be published in 2027.
