Golden Shovel: Our Faithfulness
By Sharon Olds
Nothing promised between us is nothing
promised. And what does it mean, promised.
Sent forward. I’d say that my love of you is
permanent, I believe that nothing
will stop it—but I have not actually promised.
Nor have you spoken any promise. But
we do not lie to each other. Nothing
false will be spoken, as if we have promised
each other the truth. I do promise you that,
I love to make you a promise. It is
an eros, and it is a bond—we are not
just flying around like electrons. It’s performed,
our truth, it holds us together, it is
what I call sacred—and I mean nothing
outside space and time. I love promised
and I love performed—there is nothing between us that
is promised to go through to completion and is
not completed. Nothing promised that is not
performed. Nothing promised that is not performed.
