The words I sometimes understand
sometimes only might
or only understand in the words’ passing
sharing a syntax disentangled
from the meaning of the day
and that
some inspiration charged
I am like the poet I hope
led to choose among my betters
and go live
being quiet
among them
us . . . ?
In other words, persist, but rather
a dense shadow fanned out.*
*
Perhaps we share the good notion
to go out as we were written
the vision-voice of rhythmic
ambiguity knapped
Ignore the do not and
good night in favor of
*
Uh
in favor of what?
Reel in the scenery.
It’s unlike us to reel in the difference.*
*
Ah Very likely
a setpiece gone off
eternal
So:
where,
well
else . . . ?
So, maybe it is that
we’re still
not exactly evil, but you get the point.*
* John Ashbery, handwritten, August 25, 2017: his last poem.
