Triptych
by Maureen S. O'Brien, 11/10/97
Insp: Redux trilogy

A box in shades of gray, illuminated blindingly:
A triptych closed against the world, and on the front I see
A man in glasses at a desk, a woman at the door --
Two seekers who have no idea of all that lies in store.

I open its left panel and I turn it t'ward the light:
A woman in the dark at work, at home a man in night.
Both in tears, both sit alone as both must ever be.
Lies brought them together; only death can set them free.

But open up the right-hand side, and see what's drawn in red:
He shoots a spy, and makes it look like he himself is dead.
She always spoke the truth; for him, she learns at last to lie.
Apart, they work together now to find the truth or die.

But when I look inside, I see them painted hand in hand:
The man's endured; the woman's cured; temptation both withstand.
The man has found his sister and the woman's faith's made hale;
But in each other they have found the Truth, their Holy Grail.

I close the panels of the box, one figure drawn on each --
As diff'rent as two souls can be -- but still be within reach.
Their boss will cross the line for them, and God is on their side.
They know their friends, and till the end, they won't be turned aside.