Measure of the Light-Year
He is listening to the music he
loves,
a Romanian waltz that beats out
Its rhythm 1 and 2 and 3 and…
he knows the song by ear, by heart.
He dreams in twilight sleep, hearing
a faint hum, a plea, a signal from America;
A crescendo of sound pushing down.
and the waltz continues 1 and 2 and 3 and…
He knows he must wait for a heart
that beats in rhythm; a song, a voice
That sings in a stranger's chest. And
he knows the measure of the light-year,
How time equals distance
and how distance is a kind of salvation.
And the waltz continues
1 and 2 and 3 …
© 1998 Jim Cain
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