W. S. Merwin(b. 1927)
Whoever You Are
By now when you say I stop somewhere waiting for you6
w h o is t h e I a n d w h o c o m e to t h a t is you
there are those words that were written a long time ago
by someone I have read about who they assure me is you
the handwriting is still running over the pages
but the one who has disappeared from the script is you
I wonder what age you were when those words came to you
though I think it is not any age at all that is you
s t o p p i n g a n d waiting u n d e r t h e soles of my f e e t
this morning this waking this looking up is you
but nothing has stopped in fact and I do not know
what is waiting and surely that also is you
every t i m e you say it you s e e m to be s p e a k i n g
through me to some me not yet there who I suppose is you
you said you were stopping and waiting before I was here
maybe the one I heard say it then is you
CHARLES TMLINSN
b. 1927