Ellen Porter
2/12/08
With a Lover’s Eyes (after Rumi)

Snow falls and
with a lover’s eyes
I delight in the
carpet of white
the prism of colors
within the sunbeam.

With my intellectual eyes
I check the temperature
and verify it is cold
and I see the road is slick.

My love sees your green eyes
the smooth plump skin
around your arms and waist
and I hunger for my
lips to find yours.

With intellectual ears
I notice your forgetfulness,
the hesitation before naming.

And still I love—
lover and intellectual—
thrown in bed together
with the Beloved Friend.


Ellen Porter
1/04/08
Wondrous Wise

Closest friendship:
two women speak their hearts
with measured words and few caresses.
We do not lie together
but experience our bodies
and souls as one.
The Beloved is wondrous wise
in permitting this
chaste and miraculous love.
The Beloved is wondrous wise
in teaching us to love Her
as we memorize our love for each other.