The Other Half of the Argument

Response to a poem by Marina Tsvetaeva, in memory of Katherine Hollands

I blot the sun in your sky,
I dispense the stars one by one,
I stay strong as a birch when your tempests pry;
You're not permitted to come in

And beg to me, with eyes like a deer
To walk in my shadow reflective,
For your words will dissolve into tears
Like a child I will have to forgive.