Ars Poetica

A poem should be palpable and mute
As a globed fruit,Dumb
As old medallions to the thumb,Silent as the sleeve-worn stone
Of casement ledges where the moss has grown—A poem should be wordless
As the flight of birds.                 A poem should be motionless in time
As the moon climbs,Leaving, as the moon releases
Twig by twig the night-entangled trees,Leaving, as the moon behind the winter leaves,
Memory by memory the mind—A poem should be motionless in time
As the moon climbs.                  A poem should be equal to:
Not true.For all the history of grief
An empty doorway and a maple leaf.For love
The leaning grasses and two lights above the sea—A poem should not mean
But be.