Of all disquiets sorrow is most serene. Its intervals of soft humility Are lenient; they intrude on our obscene Debasements and our fury like a plea For wisdom -- guilt is always shared. The fears Fall, if for just an hour, all away, And the old, essential person reappears. Sorrow can shape us better than dismay. You have forgiven me, old friends and lovers, I think you have forgiven me at last, As you put by the banished fugitive. And if I'm sorry who was once aghast For all the hurts I've done you, I forgive, I too, the self this sorrow still recovers. Used with the permission of Copper Canyon Press, P.O. Box 271, Port Townsend, WA 98368-0271, www.cc.press.org |