THE BORROWER OF SALT
The man who saw the light hanging on the tall end
Of the road thought it was a lantern on the distant wall
Of the mysterious neighbor, so he said, friend, friend,
I
am.
coming out to borrow some of the savor of your salt.
And he started running toward the light that hung
In the neighbor's window and as he kept going the light
Danced, saying with a mocking step, isn't it wrong
That I dance in my glory while you walk in the night?
Yes, said the man, it is wrong, and what is worse
The wind is getting bad, the mud thicker, the road
Harder to follow and I move as slowly as a hearse,
In fact I practically crawl so heavy is the load.
The gleam tittered like a light on the end of a spar
But the man was up to his knees in road as if roots
Sprouted from
his
feet; alas, said the man, this is too hard,
Those who walk in great men's tracks should wear boots.
So he turned around and the wind opened spigots of air
On his head, up
his
thighs he felt the earth's lips creep,
.And lo, the light gleamed spiritedly from
his
own fair
Housetop, but he couldn't move, the track was so deep.
OsCAR
WILLIAMS
