Dilemma

My prayers for you, alas, are all
Somewhat anthropological.
I cannot separate a whole,
Dissect a substance and see a soul;
For when I try, to my dismay
Your anxious eyes get in the way.
I pray you, pray for me when I pray —

Lest I, endeavoring to exclude
Distractions from my solicitude,
Disintegrate you far too well,
Halve you and leave you half in Hell.
Before you vanish into air,
May memory salvage one bright hair
Entangled always in my prayer.

From Boundaries