Posted on August 28, 2025 by Jenn Zatopek

LOVE IN THEIR EYES

I saw Mt. Fuji in Seattle,
the snow-covered mountain
visible all week long,
as large as an alien ship.
as vast as the night sky. 

There were those lonely times in high school,
at Half Price Books in Dallas,
staring at prints of Japanese countrysides,
wondering if I’d ever encounter it.

But then on our last evening,
we’re walking down the stone path
under gargantuan evergreens
and gentle waves of the sound
hemming us in,
I see you in Mt. Rainer,
last year’s card with Basho’s haiku
etched in your elegant kanji and
the two painted flowers you gave me,
small poppies in muted pink,
the color, the proof of love. 

And my dear, this buoys my heart
on the long summer days and nights
when my mind tells me otherwise
but I know this–

You can look at someone
and see love in their eyes,
how it is we who limit love’s reach,
not Love herself.

Image: Photo by Filiz Elaerts on Unsplash