Since my "Kyoto, 1945" thread has been locked, let me blog about it. I'll attempt to answer some questions related to the poem, which is entirely a play of words, images, metaphors, and meanings.

I'll use the original poem:

Kyoto, 1945

Between us is obscured by the vast distance;
The cruel distortion of light cripples my excitement.
You, in the garden, a miracle of symmetry,
Are intoxicated in the last burst of spring;...