360
PARTISAN REVIEW
Too wrinkled to support that load;
And no brass buttoned voice, trumpeting out
The shell cracked and slimy rout.
And it is like a ferris wheel;
Up and down, the stars reel;
It takes the North Star, shines it more,–
It's on a plane tree it adores;
Whose roots creep up and down beside
Mumble grumble, seek and hide
Children: are its lullabye.
And for brown eyes, and for blue eyes,–
And how much for my baby? sigh
The mothers. And a penny cries-
So cold, the wind's nose on its nose.
Past panting lions with smudgy joys,
It whirls through a carousell of boys.
The century cracking to cracked toys.
Its whispers and complaining ears.
And then, from door to door, across
The whisper world until it hears
In stone and steel, "For god's sake, what
II.
"What are you doing in this room
Shivering so? (But it won't hurt
It really won't? tell me won't you?)
I'll touch you with my thought and we–
We'll walk out on the sea as one
Crosses the street, and on the sun
In amber day, before-but run!-
The road can catch and catches us-
(But the black buoys!-) and before
Those buildings lean down grabbing us–
Run! it won't hurt; learning's like
Learning to walk after a long
Sickness; singing, happy as
Singing children, all day long."
