Virgin Landscape

VIRGIN LANDSCAPE

It was once so unfamiliar
And I had to learn it in the dark
My hand, my guide
Your body an uncertain, shifting terrain
 I knew where I was only by the heat
Like lava under the earth

I wanted to map you
Like George the surveyor
New to Virginia
Moving gingerly through the gullies
A miniature man, climbing to the heights
Perching on your lower lip
Listening to the breath of the oracle.

With time I knew the lay of the land
Here was precipice, there the marsh
Firm ground where I could rest
Or dine, or dance

We met in that landscape
Soft silhouettes on the horizon of the other's eyes

And so we built the house
On resilient ground
A cantilevered structure
With elbows against elbows
Knees buttressed by knees
One back a foundation, another a terrace
Working free form
With natural stuff
Strong  without stress
As concrete as rapids around boulders
Flexible as willows in a strong wind