Wit’s relationship with me
Is my relationship with you
In poetry; this is what poetry
Is; this defines what I do.
Poetry I do all alone,
But with it, I can play any tone.
I can be more myself with it than with you.
I heard of someone, today, who,
Worked all his life, and, at the age of seventy two,
Had no one—no one!—to leave his money to.
So I am going to write this poem to you.
We can’t live naked; Wallace Stevens doesn’t fit
In nature; we need a roof—and wit.
Labor is necessary all the time.
The sun is hot, and into the sun we have to climb.
This tragedy of commuting we cannot share
With anyone, and if we should so much as stare
At someone else with desire, it’s called a crime.
But most desires are passing; only wit
Saves us. This poem is my gift which wraps it.
