______
the day before she died Poetry set her house in order; i was there and said to her, "you need not do this terrible thing! you may yet live tomorrow, as today!--" and she with eye-flash silenced me. we emptied waste bins, locked the cabinets and set dust-cloth over furniture. quickly, quickly: sweeping floor-boards, folding shirts and collars into deep drawers, somber, silent, driven with nervous energy. at the end she stood still-centered in the largest room, looking carefully. this was time unlike all other--despaired of Mercy, jealous Death pacing without. "i cannot wait," she said, yet dared not rush ahead.
after her death i self-discovered this as Poetry's parting gift to us: we had no need to sear our hearts with going through her things.
the day before she died Poetry set her house in order; i was there and said to her, "you need not do this terrible thing! you may yet live tomorrow, as today!--" and she with eye-flash silenced me. we emptied waste bins, locked the cabinets and set dust-cloth over furniture. quickly, quickly: sweeping floor-boards, folding shirts and collars into deep drawers, somber, silent, driven with nervous energy. at the end she stood still-centered in the largest room, looking carefully. this was time unlike all other--despaired of Mercy, jealous Death pacing without. "i cannot wait," she said, yet dared not rush ahead.
after her death i self-discovered this as Poetry's parting gift to us: we had no need to sear our hearts with going through her things.
November '09
No comments:
Post a Comment