The Self and the Mulberry
by Marvin Bell
I wanted to see the self, so I looked at the mulberry.
It had no trouble accepting its limits,
yet defining and redefining a small area
so that any shape was possible, any movement.
It stayed put, but was part of all the air.
I wanted to learn to be there and not there
like the continually changing, slightly moving
mulberry, wild cherry and particularly the willow.
Like the willow, I tried to weep without tears.
Like the cherry tree, I tried to be sturdy and productive.
Like the mulberry, I tried to keep moving.
I couldn’t cry right, couldn’t stay or go.
I kept losing parts of myself like a soft maple.
I fell ill like the elm. That was the end
of looking in nature to find a natural self.
Let nature think itself not manly enough!
Let nature wonder at the mystery of laughter.
Let nature hypothesize man’s indifference to it.
Let nature take a turn at saying what love is!
End of the poem
15 random poems
- The Poet And The Muse poem – Alfred Austin
- Ho, everyone that thirsteth poem – A. E. Housman
- Sonnet 23: As an unperfect actor on the stage by William Shakespeare
- A Goddess by Tanisha Avarsekar
- The Guide Post by William Barnes
- Riden Hwome At Night by William Barnes
- Sonnet 110: Alas, ’tis true, I have gone here and there by William Shakespeare
- I Begin To Think by Satish Verma
- Outsong in the Jungle by Rudyard Kipling
- 1954 by Sharon Olds
- Robert Burns: The Poet’s Reply To The Threat Of A Censorious Critic: My imprudent lines were answered, very petulantly, by somebody, I believe, a Rev. Mr. Hamilton. In a MS., where I met the answer, I wrote below:-
- At The Close Of The Canvass poem – Ambrose Bierce poems | Poems and Poetry
- Василий Жуковский – Теснятся все к тебе во храм
- Shall I like An Eternal World by Nithin Purple
- Владимир Маяковский – Да здравствует 5-й год советской власти, утвердившейся в октябре! (Главполитпросвет №397)
Some external links:
Duckduckgo.com – the alternative in the US
Quant.com – a search engine from France, and also an alternative, at least for Europe
Yandex – the Russian search engine (it’s probably the best search engine for image searches).
