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between matter and principle 273
Be with me, powers
of the tongue I love,
sources of clarity in
the turns of life:
that the slow action of the
understanding and the motions
of the rapid feelings
breathe in unison --
health howsoever brief.
moments in a glade
Abiding snake:
At thirty-four
By unset spirit driven here
I watch the season. Warily
My private senses start to alter,
Emerging at no sign from me
In the stone colors of my matter.
You that I met in a dim path,
Exact responder with a wrath
Wise in conditions, long secure,
Settled expertly for the kill
You keep a dull exterior
Over quick fi ber holding still ...
Rocking a little, in a coarse
Glitter beneath fi ne, vacant space,
The hillside scrub oak interlocked
Where year by year, and unattended,