The Symbolism of Archery

The marksman
hitteth the mark
partly by pulling,
partly by letting go.

-Egyptian proverb

--

In any reaching
I pull inwards,
I let go, outwards.

In a relationship,
with another,
my personal drawings

pull this person
to me -- then,
they are released:

an arrowflight
lofted skyward
to another orbit

and while I might
hope for a happy
arc, the downward

return to earth,
to each, might
shatter a shaft

before renewal --
to each: the archer
and the arrow

in each, the pulling
and in movement,
the letting go.

One arrow transits
in new trajectory,
another drawn

from the quiver
of living, passing
anew.

(Originally sent: April 2005)