You did not notice the roses,
the stones, or even
the toad, the child,
the sapling, the totem
pole, the crow, the dusk,
or the hummingbird,
the mantis, the dove,
or the hushed word

but spoke instead,
but spoke at length
of the horrible
horrible
horrible world.

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This article originally appeared in The New Criterion, Volume 31 Number 1, on page 31
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https://newcriterion.com/issues/2012/9/to-the-woman-in-the-garden