Your absence has gone through me
Like thread through a needle.
Everything I do is stitched with its color.-W. S. Merwin
In such a brief poem, Merwin captures the relentless associations of being apart from a loved one. They are not only visceral, but tangible. The reverberations of absence refuse to be contained in the mind and forcibly permeate the senses. Merwin’s longing is a synesthetic one, simultaneously visual and palpable. As the needle stitches, it colors as well; it is impossible to separate one from the other.
W.S. Merwin does not explain longing; his poem merely asserts it. The adorable is what is adorable. Or: I adore you because you are adorable, I love you because I love you. “Separation” is likewise a tautology. It says ‘I miss you because I miss you.’ When I miss you, I do not focus on the variety of reasons behind that sensation, but rather the simple fact: I miss you.
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