A Tooth upon Our Peace The Peace cannot deface - Then Wherefore be the Tooth? To vitalize the Grace - The Heaven hath a Hell - Itself to signalize - And every sign before the Place - Is Gilt with Sacrifice.
Like Eyes that looked on Wastes - Incredulous of Ought But Blank - and steady Wilderness - Diversified by Night - Just Infinites of Nought - As far as it could see - So looked the face I looked upon - So looked itself - on Me -
I offered it no Help - Because the Cause was Mine - The Misery a Compact As hopeless - as divine -
Neither - would be absolved - Neither would be a Queen Without the Other - Therefore - We perish - tho' We reign.
Sweet - safe - Houses - Glad - gay - Houses - Sealed so stately tight - Lids of Steel - on Lids of Marble - Locking Barefeet out - Brooks of Plush - in Banks of Satin Not so softly fall As the laughter - and the whisper - From their People Pearl -
No Bald Death - affront their Parlors - No Bold Sickness come To deface their stately Treasures - Anguish - and the Tomb -
Hum by - in muffled Coaches - Lest they - wonder Why - Any - for the Press of Smiling - Interrupt - to die -.
Triumph - may be of several kinds - There's Triumph in the Room When that Old Imperator - Death - By Faith - be overcome - There's Triumph of the finer mind When Truth - affronted long - Advance unmoved - to Her Supreme - Her God - Her only Throng -
A Triumph - when Temptation's Bribe Be slowly handed back - One eye upon the Heaven renounced - And One - upon the Rack -
Severer Triumph - by Himself Experienced - who pass Acquitted - from that Naked Bar - Jehovah's Countenance.
It was given to me by the Gods - When I was a little Girl - They given us Presents most - you know - When we are new - and small. I kept it in my Hand - I never put it down - I did not dare to eat - or sleep - For fear it would be gone - I heard such words as "Rich" - When hurrying to school - From lips at Corners of the Streets - And wrestled with a smile. Rich! 'Twas Myself - was rich - To take the name of Gold - And Gold to own - in solid Bars - The Difference - made me bold.
Love - thou art high - I cannot climb thee - But, were it Two - Who know but we - Taking turns - at the Chimborazo - Ducal - at last - stand up by thee - Love - thou art deep - I cannot cross thee - But, were there Two Instead of One - Rower, and Yacht - some sovreign Summer - Who knows - but we'd reach the Sun?
Love - thou are Vailed - A few - behold thee - Smile - and alter - and prattle - and die - Bliss - were an Oddity - without thee - Nicknamed by God - Eternity.
The Malay - took the Pearl - Not - I - the Earl - I - feared the Sea - too much Unsanctified - to touch - Praying that I might be Worthy - the Destiny - The Swarthy fellow swam - And bore my Jewel - Home -
Home to the Hut! What lot Had I - the Jewel - got - Borne on a Dusky Breast - I had not deemed a Vest Of Amber - fit -
The Negro never knew I - wooed it - too - To gain, or be undone - Alike to Him - One.
The Outer - from the Inner Derives it's Magnitude - 'Tis Duke, or Dwarf, according As is the central mood - The fine - unvarying Axis That regulates the Wheel - Though Spokes - spin - more conspicuous And fling a dust - the while.
The Inner - paints the Outer - The Brush without the Hand - It's Picture publishes - precise - As is the inner Brand -
On fine - Arterial Canvas - A Cheek - perchance a Brow - The Star's whole secret - in the Lake - Eyes were not meant to know.
I know some lonely Houses off the Road A Robber'd like the look of - Wooden barred, And Windows hanging low, Inviting to - A Portico, Where two could creep - One - hand the Tools - The other peep - To make sure All's Asleep - Old fashioned eyes - Not easy to surprise! How orderly the Kitchen'd look, by night, With just a Clock - But they could gag the Tick - And Mice wont bark - And so the Walls - dont tell - None - will -
A pair of Spectacles ajar just stir - An Almanac's aware - Was it the Mat - winked, Or a Nervous Star? The Moon - slides down the stair, To see who's there!
There's plunder - where - Tankard, or Spoon - Earring - or Stone - A Watch - Some Ancient Brooch To match the Grandmama - Staid sleeping - there -
Day - rattles - too Stealth's - slow - The Sun has got as far As the third Sycamore - Screams Chanticleer "Who's there"?
And Echoes - Trains away, Sneer - "Where"! While the old Couple, just astir, Fancy the Sunrise - left the door ajar!