The heart is such a big awkward girl, I think it's a paper cup of gasoline. The floor dozes off when I walk across it, And the windows turn opaque When they are sure no one is around. At night when no one sees them Lovers write each other's names With black volcanic stones On the white salt flats. There were slamming doors and flowers, A cup of milk left on the stove too long. There was all the wind in Wyoming. No one saw anything. We were not evil enough to make decisions, But able to let things happen Evil enough. We are learning that weather Is always merciless -- Even if you don't mean weather -- Even the best days. Used with the permission of Copper Canyon Press, P.O. Box 271, Port Townsend, WA 98368-0271, www.cc.press.org | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...THE CRUISE OF THE MONITOR [MARCH 9, 1862] by GEORGE M. BAKER THE FOREFATHER by RICHARD EUGENE BURTON SHERMAN'S MARCH TO THE SEA by SAMUEL HAWKINS MARSHALL BYERS TO THE BOY by ELIZABETH CLEMENTINE DODGE KINNEY HAWTHORNE by HENRY WADSWORTH LONGFELLOW |