The Pages of Day and Night

Before the time of day -- I am.
Before the wonder of the sun -- I burn.
Trees run behind me.
Blossoms walk in my shadow.
But still tomorrow
builds into my face
such island fortresses
of silence that words find
not a door to enter by.
The pitying stars ignite
and the days forget themselves
in my bed.
	The springs within my chest
are closing now like blossoms
to the moon.
	Their waters bathe
the mirror of my vision pure
as silence as I waken into sleep.

Adonis ['Ali Ahmad Sa'id]. "The Pages of Day and Night." The Pages of Day and Night, trans. Samuel Hazo. Evanston, Illinois: Marlboro Press / Northwestern University Press, 1994, p. 11.