Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, IN PLATO'S CAVE, by KATHLEEN JESSIE RAINE


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IN PLATO'S CAVE, by                 Poet Analysis     Poet's Biography
First Line: I prayed for vision in the night
Last Line: That no one, not even the wounded, feels.
Subject(s): Love; Plato (428-348 B.c.); Soul


I prayed for vision in the night,
But saw only, blank upon my wall
A ragged square of empty London light.

I prayed for love that should be all in all,
But in a fancy less substantial than a dream
Thought that my hands were nailed together to the wall.

I watched the square of light,
Thinking it might prove a window of the soul
And open heaven beyond.

Oh nothing came but blank dark over the blank light
and the faint fancy faded that my hands were nailed
Together like two dead birds on a wall.

Such is the empty room of night that lies
Under the intricate surface of my day,
And on the darkened retina of my eyes

Thin reflected light and shadow falls;
Shadowy blood runs unheeded out of wounds
That no one, not even the wounded, feels.





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