Two Become One is inspired by the Song of Songs, Clement's favorite book of the Hebrew Bible and the most formative text in his life.

An erotic poem which emerged from the cultural milieu of ancient Near Eastern love poetry, the Song of Songs was highly esteemed in ancient Judaism—being included in the canon and called by Rabbi Akiva "the Holy of Holies" of the Sacred Scriptures—and has always been interpreted by Christians, especially St. Bernard of Clairvaux (a fellow Cistercian and Doctor of the Church), as an allegory of God's love for his people, complementing the themes of nuptial imagery found throughout the Hebrew Bible and brought to fullness in the New Testament.

Purple—esteemed for its scarce origin from murex sea snails in the ancient world—is mentioned in the Song to describe the arrival of an idealized King Solomon, the consummate lover. The yellow flower represents the radiance of love, which gives life to the cosmos, and the yellow tracks resemble those of a gazelle, which is mentioned frequently throughout the Song as a simile for the divine bridegroom's arrival. The use of a black-eyed Susan is a play on words for anyone familiar with the sacred text, for the bride remarks that she is "black but beautiful" (Sg. 1:5). Likewise, the use of lilyturf references not only the bride, who remarks that she is "a lily of the valleys" (Sg. 2:1), but also references the bridegroom, who "feeds among the lilies" (Sg. 6:3). The title of the work is an allusion to Genesis 2:24, which remarks that Adam and Eve, united in the covenant of matrimony, have become one in flesh.

Clement gifted this work to his parents on the occasion of their twentieth wedding anniversary.