Friday, October 14, 2022

The Plain Man

 

I find myself becoming earnest.

Plain as a brown-paper bag.

Straightforward as falling, simple as grass;

Transparent as a window or a clumsy lie.

 

The wry twist and the daring flourish fade;

They lose a little of their youthful charm.

The blunt, square, cudgeling style gains appeal:

Words in good order, or no words at all.

 

Maybe silence is the best of all poems.

Maybe candor is the cleverest ruse.

Maybe if you open the book of yourself

To a blank page

 

The world can write its masterpiece

On your old and innocent heart

Before the book is closed, the story ended,

And the final simplicity falls.

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