I could take two leaves and give you one. Would that not be a kind of perfection? But I prefer one leaf torn to give you half showing (after these years, simply) love's complexity in an act, the tearing and the unique edges -- one leaf (one word) from the two imperfections that match. 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...VARIATIONS: 10 by CONRAD AIKEN PORTRAIT OF A BABY by STEPHEN VINCENT BENET CONTRA MORTEM: THE VILLAGE by HAYDEN CARRUTH THE LITANY OF THE DARK PEOPLE by COUNTEE CULLEN MIDSUMMER BIRDS by ROBERT FROST JOY (1) by GEORGIA DOUGLAS JOHNSON LET ME NOT HATE by GEORGIA DOUGLAS JOHNSON |