Let us go then, you and I,<\/p>\n
evening is spread upon a table;<\/p>\n
Let us go,<\/p>\n
muttering retreats, Of restless nights<\/p>\n
in cheap hotels with oyster-shells:<\/p>\n
a tedious argument Of insidious intent<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
To lead<\/p>\n
overwhelming question …<\/p>\n
Oh, do not ask, \u201cWhat is it?\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Let us go<\/p>\n
and make the women come<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
rubs its back upon the -panes,<\/p>\n
rubs its muzzle<\/p>\n
Licked its tongue<\/p>\n
into the corners<\/p>\n
the evening, Lingered upon<\/p>\n
the pools that fall upon its back<\/p>\n
that falls Slipped<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
the sudden leap,<\/p>\n
And seeing<\/p>\n
it was a soft October night,<\/p>\n
Curled, and fell asleep. indeed<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Time: smoke that slides along<\/p>\n
Rubbing upon the -panes;<\/p>\n
There will be time, there will be time<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
To face. To meet: the faces<\/p>\n
There will be time<\/p>\n
to murder and create,<\/p>\n
time: for all the works<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
and days. That lift and drop<\/p>\n
a question<\/p>\n
Time for you and me,<\/p>\n
time for a hundred indecisions,<\/p>\n
for visions and revisions,<\/p>\n
Before the taking toast and tea.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
In the room, women come<\/p>\n
indeed<\/p>\n
time To wonder, \u201cDo I dare?\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cDo I dare?\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Time turn back and descend the stair,<\/p>\n
My morning , mounting firmly<\/p>\n
My rich and modest, asserted by a simple pin \u2014<\/p>\n
Do I dare<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Universe,<\/p>\n
In a minute, is there time?<\/p>\n
decisions and revisions<\/p>\n
a minute will reverse.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
I have known<\/p>\n
all already, known them all:<\/p>\n
the evenings, mornings, afternoons,<\/p>\n
measured out my life with coffee spoons;<\/p>\n
the voices dying with dying<\/p>\n
Beneath the music<\/p>\n
should I presume?<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
I have known the eyes already, known them all\u2014<\/p>\n
eyes that fix a formulated phrase,<\/p>\n
And when formulated, sprawling on a pin,<\/p>\n
pinned and wriggling on the wall,<\/p>\n
Then how should I begin<\/p>\n
To spit out all the butt-ends of my ways?<\/p>\n
And how should I presume?<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
I have known the arms already, known them all\u2014<\/p>\n
Arms white and bare in the lamplight, downed with light brown hair!)<\/p>\n
Is it perfume from a dress Arms that lie, or wrap about<\/p>\n
And should I then presume?<\/p>\n
And how should I begin?<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
gone at dusk<\/p>\n
narrow And watched<\/p>\n
the smoke that rises<\/p>\n
lonely leaning out of windows? …<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
I should have a pair , ragged claws<\/p>\n
Scuttling across silent seas.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
And the afternoon, the evening,<\/p>\n
Smoothed by long fingers,<\/p>\n
Asleep … tired … or it malingers,<\/p>\n
Stretched on the floor,<\/p>\n
here you and me.<\/p>\n
Should I Have the strength to<\/p>\n
force the moment ,its crisis?<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
I have wept , fasted, prayed,<\/p>\n
I have seen my head<\/p>\n
brought in upon a platter,<\/p>\n
I am no prophet \u2014no great matter;<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
I have seen the moment<\/p>\n
my greatness flicker,<\/p>\n
I have seen the eternal hold my coat, and snicker,<\/p>\n
And in short, afraid.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
would it have been worth it,<\/p>\n
you and me,<\/p>\n
Would it have been worth while,<\/p>\n
bitten off the matter with a smile,<\/p>\n
To have squeezed the ball<\/p>\n
some overwhelming question,<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
To say: Come back to tell you, I shall tell all\u201d\u2014<\/p>\n
If one, settling her head<\/p>\n
\u201cThat is not what I meant at all;<\/p>\n
not it, at all.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
And would after all,<\/p>\n
have been worth while,<\/p>\n
After the sunsets the dooryards sprinkled streets,<\/p>\n
After the novels, , after the skirts that trail along the floor\u2014<\/p>\n
this, and so much more?\u2014<\/p>\n
impossible to say just what I mean! as if a magic<\/p>\n
threw patterns on a screen:worth while<\/p>\n
one, settling And turning<\/p>\n
\u201cThat is not it at all,<\/p>\n
That is not what I meant, at all.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
No! I am not nor meant to be;<\/p>\n
attendant lord, will do<\/p>\n
To swell, start a scene or two,<\/p>\n
the prince; no doubt, an easy tool,<\/p>\n
Deferential, be of use,<\/p>\n
Politic, cautious, and meticulous;<\/p>\n
high but a bit obtuse;<\/p>\n
At times, indeed, ridiculous\u2014<\/p>\n
Almost, at times, the Fool.<\/p>\n
Do I dare to eat a peach?<\/p>\n
wear white, and walk upon the beach.<\/p>\n
the mermaids singing, sing to me.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
I have seen them riding<\/p>\n
the waves white<\/p>\n
of the waves blown back<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
the wind blows<\/p>\n
white and black.<\/p>\n
We lingered, in chambers of sea-girls<\/p>\n
red and brown<\/p>\n
Till voices wake us, and we drown.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Amanda Potter\u00a9: 2019 Poetry Marathon<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Let us go then, you and I, evening is spread upon a table; Let us go, muttering retreats, Of restless nights in cheap hotels with oyster-shells: a tedious argument Of insidious intent To lead overwhelming question … Oh, do not ask, \u201cWhat is it?\u201d…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":730,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-56318","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-miscellaneous"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thepoetrymarathon.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56318","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thepoetrymarathon.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thepoetrymarathon.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thepoetrymarathon.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/730"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thepoetrymarathon.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=56318"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/thepoetrymarathon.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56318\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":58361,"href":"https:\/\/thepoetrymarathon.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56318\/revisions\/58361"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thepoetrymarathon.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=56318"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thepoetrymarathon.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=56318"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thepoetrymarathon.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=56318"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}