MAGNETS


And I said to her,
you and I
are magnets two;
I am your North
and you are my South,
and when we are together
we are drawn nearer,
and when we are apart, we are nothing.

But the magnets to stand the test of time.
are those magnets that
come together
and do not come apart,
and we are not such magnets.

Though I had such a magnet once,
a magnet that came to me
and that I came to her,
and that held me,
and that I held,
and that I never wanted to let go.

But that magnet and I
held each other
so fast and so hard
that the very fibers of our being were beginning to crack,
and the north and south and the north and south were in jeopardy;
so that magnet and I had to let go of each other in an effort to preserve ourselves,
if nothing else that our Love may live.

And that Love was a love to remember,
and a love that was not to let go,
so to this day if that magnet and I
are within a few feet of each other,
we stare at each other with longing,
but dare not go near each other again.
Copyright ©2005 Ashi Shadow 12/28/05

The magnets are actually meant to be together in the same spot physically. If we are not in the same spot physically in the same place at the same time, then we will not be together - because our relationship will not last.

The magnet to stand the test of time is Katie, of course.

The first capitalized "Love" refers to the person -- neither of us would want the other to die, so our "Love" is the other person.

The second capitalized "Love" is the love itself, and is capitalized as a proper noun because it is the only one that is it, and not another love, and ought to be distinguished on its own as not just "a" love.

Not much other than that needs explanation! The beginning to crack is we were hurting each other of course and holding on to each other too tight (figuratively) and smothering each other and harming each others' lives, and the "north and south and the north and south" is her life and my life, the "north and south" being our body but a metaphor for our life being in jeopardy. And thus letting each other go to preserve ourselves, but "ourselves" as a we not an I; to preserve the other person ("ourselves"), not "ourself."

Note: the hard and fast are not meant as anything vulgar. The fast is to be "held fast" (e.g. - won't let go, like steadfast), and the "hard" just means strongly.

Note: the first stanza is actually on Katie, in feeling, but the context of the poem is it being said to Chun-yi (for whom it's also true, as in any relationship - but not as strong a pull of course as Katie).