Once Again I Prove the Theory of Relativity

Once Again I Prove the Theory of Relativity Summary | Detailed Summary

"Once Again I Prove the Theory of Relativity" is a poem about a woman's love for an absent lover on whom she would dote and delight if he were to return and stay, though she fears he will not do so.

As the poem begins, the narrator addresses her absent lover and tells him all the wonderful, creative things she would do if he were to return to her. She says she would treasure him as if he were a lost Matisse painting; she would dance and sing like a Taiwanese diva, and she would even laugh like the little dog that watches the cow jump over the moon.

The woman's creativity would increase if her lover would return, and she would tell stories like a clown and paint clouds on the walls of her home. In addition to the whimsy, the home would be prepared with care, especially the bed upon which only the finest linens would be placed. The woman would watch her beloved as he sleeps and stay quiet so as not to disturb him.

The speaker then switches the perspective from directly addressing her lover to general observations about his beauty. The woman compares the man's color to that of the inside of an ear, like the inside of a conch shell, or a Modigliani nude. The thought occurs to the woman that she will cut off a piece of her lover's hair so that she will always have a part of him no matter where he is.

The woman again addresses the missing lover directly and talks of how she will indulge him with parrot tulips and laugh at his stories or just stay quiet if that is what he wants, although she knows that he will always leave again for some exotic location.

Ultimately, the narrator acknowledges that her lover will always want to leave but if he comes back, then she will take the steps to savor and memorize him so that she will have the content necessary to write more poetry.