<ondaatje's "what we lost"> 2002-11-25.1:05 a.m. What We Lost Michael Ondaatje The interior love poem The deeper levels of the self Landscapes of daily life dates when the abandonment of certain principles occurred. The rule of courtesy -- how to enter a temple or forest, how to touch a master's feet before lesson or performance. The art of the drum. The art of eye-painting. How to cut an arrow. Gestures between lovers. The pattern of her teeth marks on his skin drawn by a monk from memory. The limits of betrayal. The five ways A lover could mock an ex-lover. Nine finger and eye gestures to signal key emotions. The small boats of solitude. Lyrics that rose from love back into the air naked with guile and praise. Our works and days. We knew how monsoons (south-west, north-east) would govern behaviour and when to discover the knowledge of the dead hidden in clouds, in rivers, in unbroken rock. All this we burned or traded for power and wealth from the eight compass points of vengeance from the two levels of envy back /& forth /& frosting names are often sad