David Lehman
OF SELF AND SOUL
"T el l me the trUlh , and maybe
If,
with my eyes forced open
Whil e I rema in entrapped in sleep,
I can succeed in forgetting my n ame
For the leng th of a laugh o r the cough
Whi ch offi cia ll y open s the concert, then
We can hum milita ry melodi es to ourselves
As we march , and feel like genera ls come home."
"But fa lsehood fli es wh en fl ags a re unfurl ed
From the windows whi ch wa tch u s as though
Our wounds are on public parade, and so
T he sign a tures on a ll things mock me
And you , connec ting u s by wh a t we canno t res ist
Or kn ow, though everything tha t's invisible exists."
