twelve and thensome times in the cycle of the sun
when darkness is a hole in the sky among the stars
but one time is love when love is pregnant darkness
and the female year turns—o diotima!
when i gaze on your ladder the sky burns up!
going up or down—this ladder is diotima’s
everybody look! look at the ladder of my love!
this year let us take our love to diotima
diotima’s ladder is love itself
san francisco you ask me do i love you?
you whose breasts nursed me through a thousand childhoods?
because i love you i have to leave you
i have to take my love to diotima
everybody come with me
we must all love something
i want to take you with me
come with me to diotima’s ladder
san francisco come with me
gay boys in the castro come with me
richmond russians n sunset chinese come with me
mission irish filipina mexican el salvadorean nicaraguan babes come with me
pier 39 chinatown tourist n stockton pig butchers come with me
montgomery businessmen come with me
cocky soma ceo techies n bored drones come with me
park n haight street shroom n pot dealers come with me
sfpd rollers n pretentious artists come with me
tenderloin junkies n bernal lesbians come with me
bayview n potrero gangbangers come with me
marina n cow hollow yuppies come with me
marina n cow hollow yuppies come with me
dishers n diners at saint anthony’s come with me
we must all love something
come with me to diotima’s ladder
john o why should we bring our love to diotima?
john o why do you bring your love to diotima?
diotima’s wisdom links the love for all things high and low
the love for chewing gum and God
you may have great insight
but you'd still better bring your love to diotimayou may know all things as empty
but you'd still better bring your love to diotima
diotima let me die on your burning ladder
going up or down—this ladder is diotima’s
everybody look! look at the ladder of my love!
i wish you all twelve beautiful moons with diotima!
love,
- john o.
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