By this age at least I know this

到了这个年纪，至少我已明白这一点——

as I see you glide across the restaurant floor and sit

当我看见你滑过餐厅的地面，坐下，

in front of me for the first time

第一次坐在我面前

how this part is nice, wipe

这一段多么美好，像抹净的石板，

of slate, canvas blank, my mind, my eyes

空白的画布——我的心，我的眼睛

on something so new, you

正对着某个全新的事物，你

could be anything and I am feeling

可以随意成为什么，而我当时心情好棒，

so kind I will let you and the manifold you contain

我会让你，以及你所包含的万千样貌

take up the whole room. Here.

占据整个房间。就这样。

It’s the least I can do. Since I can feel it

我至少能做到这样。因为我已经感觉到

starting already, your long arms and the way you grab

它开始了——你修长的手臂，你笑时

your own hands when you laugh,

抓住自己双手的样子，

your glance back at me when you

你走向洗手间时

head to the bathroom, still chewing a little,

回头看我的一眼，嘴里还在轻轻咀嚼，

your fork left so freely beside

你的叉子随意地留在

your knife on second glance become

刀的旁边，再看一眼却仿佛

flung. How next time you walk toward me I will see the swing of your step

是抛在那里。下一次你向我走来时，我会先看见你步伐的摆动，

before your heel even hovers, already

甚至在你的脚跟尚未悬空之前，就已经

paint you pulling your chair back out

把你画成拉开椅子、

with a careless scrape, let your empty frame sliding back into your seat

漫不经心地刮擦一声，让你空着的身影滑回座位

take on the weight of my creating

承载我所创造的重量

what’s there and underneath like warm clay

那些显现与隐藏的，如温暖的黏土

I’m guiding up and down your wire-wrought outline of a torso,

我在你由细线勾勒的躯干、肢体与意图之间上下揉抹，

limb, intention, filling all the holes

填补所有空隙

so you take shape. While you just sit there, just you

让你成形。而你只是坐在那里，只是你

for the last time, sailing out toward the horizon over a plate. How very soon

最后一次，在盘子之上驶向地平线。转眼之间，

on the sidewalk, through my doorway, to see you walking behind me

你已经在侧面走廊上，穿过我的门口，看你走在我身后，

I won’t even have to turn around.

我甚至不需要回头。