Quest for Knowledge

what dark substance 
illumines this unimaginable surface
where no holy light shines
and no open casement explains
the breeze that stirs the silky robe
as he goes about his hot work 
stepping around the girded circle
with cool concentration
each detailed task executed 
with a surgeon's exactness
untroubled by love and desire
he peers into the immortal depths
seeking a new perspective
as she, changed beyond recognition
briefly becomes his educator

c. 2/18/09, B. Riley
(magpoem)