I cannot live with You-- <br />It would be Life-- <br />And Life is over there-- <br />Behind the Shelf <br /> <br />The Sexton keeps the Key to-- <br />Putting up <br />Our Life--His Porcelain-- <br />Like a Cup-- <br /> <br />Discarded of the Housewife-- <br />Quaint--or Broke-- <br />A newer Sevres pleases-- <br />Old Ones crack-- <br /> <br />I could not die--with You-- <br />For One must wait <br />To shut the Other's Gaze down-- <br />You--could not-- <br /> <br />And I--could I stand by <br />And see You--freeze-- <br />Without my Right of Frost-- <br />Death's privilege? <br /> <br />Nor could I rise--with You-- <br />Because Your Face <br />Would put out Jesus'-- <br />That New Grace <br /> <br />Glow plain--and foreign <br />On my homesick Eye-- <br />Except that You than He <br />Shone closer by-- <br /> <br />They'd judge Us--How-- <br />For You--served Heaven--You know, <br />Or sought to-- <br />I could not-- <br /> <br />Because You saturated Sight-- <br />And I had no more Eyes <br />For sordid excellence <br />As Paradise <br /> <br />And were You lost, I would be-- <br />Though My Name <br />Rang loudest <br />On the Heavenly fame-- <br /> <br />And were You--saved-- <br />And I--condemned to be <br />Where You were not-- <br />That self--were Hell to Me-- <br /> <br />So We must meet apart-- <br />You there--I--here-- <br />With just the Door ajar <br />That Oceans are--and Prayer-- <br />And that White Sustenance-- <br />Despair--<br /><br />Emily Dickinson<br /><br />http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/i-cannot-live-with-you-no-640/
