No more than equitable
By No One to be succeeded,
Who had known our merits, had believed
Our lies, before ourselves whom we had considered
And (after ourselves) had loved
Constantly and well.
w.
S. Merwin
MYSTIQUE
Quand midi t'allonge
a
terre
...-Spire
'When noon hurls your body against the ground,
Sweating, your ears buzzing,
In the midst of bees that trample down
Swollen aloes and lavender,
In the midst of ants, resins,
Pine cones, thickening saps, and outspread petals,
And below your feet the ocean
Sleeps in stupor among its reddened rocks-
When noon glues your body against the ground,
In the midst of hunched and muted birds,
Your
shirt
burning your skin like a blazing lens,
Your throat dry, your mouth parching, your neck
Numbed, your eyes blinded, your brain drained,
Know and behold your God!
Stanley Burnshaw
