I bought this book on 19th Century Russian writers and I've been reading it on and off. But there is this section of Russian women poets, this one being inspired by Anna Akhmatova, famous for her love poems. I really liked this one poem (they don't have designated names), "There is a sacred secret line in loving". There's just something really despairing in it:

"There is a sacred, secret line in loving
with attraction and even passion cannot cross,-
even if lips draw near in awful silence
and love tears at the heart.

"Friendship is weak and useless here,
and years of happiness, exalted and full of fire,
because the soul is free and does not know
the slow luxuries of sensual life.

"Those who try to come near it are insane
and those who reach it are shaken by grief.
So now you know exactly why
My heart beats no faster under your hand."

This made me sketch this out really quick. Made me think of Ryo and Roxanne's relationship, in a way, since their relationship is kind of complicated. This poem made me think of that.

Sacred Secret Line copyrights to Akhmatova