Certainty With Questions

by Cindy Sigal

"For art truly is hidden in nature:
he who can tear it out, has it."
-Albrecht Durer

Is it the same with you,
a question of strength or determination?
Have I made a mistake waiting,
as if you’d appear in the doorway.
Should I stand before you
like a sculptor in front of stone, listening.
Should I run into the night,
trees branching leafless above me, assuming
you’re some place else--
Should I continue to wait,
to pray for patience and a small boat
to row me back and forth, back
and forth across the November lake.
How will it happen--
What will you do to me?
Where does the hidden
reside? I know
I should stop
asking and simply dig.
Pushing bits of broken
branches, dirt and pebbles
away, until
I find you
to unearth from
where you lay most
hidden, as you tear
question after
question from me.