The Library of Congress

   
Poem Number 5

This poem uses the many meanings
of the word "line" to talk about love.

Lines

Martha Collins

Draw a line. Write a line. There.
Stay in line, hold the line, a glance
between the lines is fine but don't
turn corners, cross, cut in, go over
or out, between two points of no
return's a line of flight, between
two points of view's a line of vision.
But a line of thought is rarely
straight, an open line's no party
line, however fine your point.
A line of fire communicates, but drop
your weapons and drop your line,
consider the shortest distance from x
to y, let x be me, let y be you.

 

from Some Things Words Can Do, 1998
The Sheep Meadows Press, Riverdale-on-Hudson, N.Y.

Copyright 1988 by Martha Collins.
All rights reserved.
Reproduced with permission (click for permissions information).