Twenty-One Love Poems XIV

It was your vision of the pilotconfirmed my vision of you, you said.

He keeps on steering headlong into the waves, on purpose while we crouched in the open hatchwayvomiting into plastic bags.

For three hours between St.

Pierre and Miquelon,

I never felt closer to you.

In the close cabin where the honeymoon coupleshuddled in each other’s laps and arms.

I put my hand on your thighto comfort both of us.

Your hand came over mine,we stayed that way, suffering together in our bodies, as if all suffering were physical, we touched so in the presence of strangers who knew nothing and cared lessvomiting their private painas if all suffering were physical.              This is poem

IV, from Adrienne Rich's Twenty-One Love Poems collection, written between 1974-1976.  These were originally published as a complete collection but were later re-published and included as part of another collection of works, written between 1974-1977, called The Dream Of A Common Language.

Twenty-One Love Poems and The Floating Poem, (un-numbered) can all be found here at oldpoetry.