“Army of Two” by Danil Rudoy is an eight-line rhymed poem from Love Is Poetry, dated April and November 19th 2019. A question about love develops through perception, social performance and the image of two people remaining an “army of two.”
Army of Two
What is love? It depends
On the power to see
All the posing you slew
In the corporate hallways.
That we’ll never be friends
I can well guarantee,
But an army of two
We will keep being always.
April, November 19th 2019
Publication
“Army of Two” appears in Love Is Poetry: Rhyming Poems About Love Life, within The Endless Day.
Partnership and perception
The poem begins by making love depend on the “power to see.” Its corporate hallways contain posing that has been recognized and defeated, so perception becomes a condition of intimacy. The closing image gives the relationship a compact martial metaphor: two people form a durable unit whose strength comes from alliance.
The phrase “army of two” joins intimacy with discipline, loyalty and shared position. The poem’s short scale concentrates the idea into a single movement from a definition of love toward an image of partnership.
Critical reading
A detailed critical reading of “Army of Two” on Prose & Poetry examines partnership, perception, social performance, corporate imagery, rhyme and the closing military metaphor.
Text and citation
Copyright © Danil Rudoy. The poem is published here as the author’s canonical text. Short excerpts may be quoted for criticism, scholarship, teaching and literary discussion with attribution to Danil Rudoy and a link to this page. Full reproduction requires separate permission.