I walked in the waist-high grass
where a million blades
sang in green cacophony.
Too many voices sang.
And in the din, I thought,
we are as grass,
as simple as grass,
our voices will be lost
and all things pass…
I desired then
to be silent and alone,
like a stone spilled
by time into a field
the mower slowly
scythes, a stone
completely unto itself,
warmed by the sun,
shining in the sun.
Elizabeth Spires new book of poems, The Wave-Maker, was published by Norton in July 2008
more from this author
This article originally appeared in The New Criterion, Volume 20 October 2001, on page 32
Copyright © 2012 The New Criterion | www.newcriterion.com