They Lend Themselves Better to Prose

They lend themselves better

to prose, the ones I know,

but that’s not what I do.

They are too lovely

and full of detail, too

complicated,

past description, really,

for this scale.

I would give you

500 pages as a start,

if I were a Russian,

and then go on from there,

but that’s not what I do.

Please don’t blame

Drs. Slaughter and Levine.

They kept their office hours

and let me stare

at their bookshelves

and taught and taught

until the only

sensible thing to do

was retire.

No, you have to prepare yourself

for what it is about her

that drives you to render

each tender encounter well,

having no idea in advance

or even afterwards…

If it’s all guesswork,

and it is,

guess well, then

start another one,

guess again, and beautifully

again.

That’s what cummings

would say if he were here.

Go on forever.

Call it a career.

October 13, 2017