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Poems Before Rita
Fire and Ice
Some say the world will end in fire,
Some say in ice.
From what I’ve tasted of desire
I hold with those who favor fire.
But if it had to perish twice,
I think I know enough of hate
To say that for destruction ice
Is also great
And would suffice.
Robert Frost
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The Book of Wisdom
I met a seer.
He held a book in his hands,
The book of wisdom.
“Sir,” I asked him,
“Let me read.”
“Child--” he began.
“Sir,” I said,
“Think not of me as a child,
For already I know much
Of that which you hold;
Aye, much.”
He smiled.
Then he opened the book
And held it before me.
Strange that I should have grown
So suddenly blind.
Stephan Crane
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An Elegy Is Preparing Itself
There are pines that are tall enough
Already in the distance,
The whining of saws; and needles,
Silently slipping through the chosen cloth.
The stone, then as now, unfelt,
Perfectly weightless. And certain words,
That will come together to mourn,
Waiting, in their dark clothes, apart.
Donald Justice
Posted at September 22, 2005 12:01 AM