To Martin Buber
In the beginning is the relation,
and I and thou are one;
then I calls out to I,
and suddenly becomes
a consciousness of experience,
that feels and orders world;
but ich-und-es is of the past,
where nothing can unfurl.
Though when the evening’s amethyst
fixes me in place,
and her quickening opal eyes
look me in the face,
the ich-und-es is taciturn;
the I emerges free;
then I can greet the present You,
and we can truly be.
Carter Davis Johnson is a Ph.D. candidate in English at the University of Kentucky. In addition to his scholarly work, he writes creatively and has been published in Ekstasis, Road Not Taken, Flyover Country, and Front Porch Republic. He also writes a weekly Substack publication, Dwelling: Embracing the non-identical in life and art.
Amethyst Review 