Thursday, October 8, 2020

witchgrass





 
Something
comes into the world unwelcome
calling disorder, disorder -

If you hate me so much don't bother to give me
a name: do you need
one more slur
in your language, another
way to blame
one tribe for everything -

as we both know, if you worship
one god, you only need 
one enemy -

I'm not the enemy.
Only a ruse to ignore 
what you see happening
right here in this bed,
a little paradigm
of failure.  One of your precious flowers
dies here almost every day
and you can't rest until
you attack the cause,
meaning
whatever is left, whatever
happens to be sturdier
than your personal passion -

It was not meant 
to last forever in the real world.
But why admit that, when you can go on
doing what you always do,
mourning and laying blame,
always the two together.

I don't need your praise
to survive.  I was here first,
before you were here, before
you ever planted a garden.
And I'll be here when only the sun and moon 
are left, and the sea, and the wide field.

I will constitute the field.



~ Louise Gluck
from The Wild Iris






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