Compromised of its purity
the white of the mind remains
immaculate and free ,
like the shirring dive
of a hawk hunting by moonlight,
or the first weak winter frost.
0, philosopher . . . the dream
of a friend! An occasional
visitor to the quiet pond,
the strangely perfect friend,
contemplative and rational
even in love. Inevitable fame
supplants potentially candid love,
like a feckless weed. The shame
of the self begins. The rock
of the self begins to face: a pure
thought now like a cairn, self-made:
an uncommon statue in a common shade.
JONATHAN AARON
From the 1929 Edition
of
the Encyclopedia Britannica
The Himalayas are unclimbed,
politely marvelled at.
A
smiling technician poses
in the jaws of an electric generator.
Jor Adam Zagajewski
