On Reading Text

When one takes up a text,

There are first the words

With their curves and hollows, and

Niches where secrets have been secreted away, and

With the words there are sounds

Either immediately or soon after,

When the meaning secreted  in the curves and hollows

Gets aroused.

When one takes up a text,

One could stop there,

Relishing the curves and hollows,

Caressing, loving the words—

But it is not possible to leave the meaning there.

When one takes up a text,

The meaning, once aroused,

Will not relent.

The meaning will hound the ear, and

Try to dictate the very texture of smell and taste.

--February 16, 2013