W.S. Merwin's Leviathan

It's not enough to see the yawning sky,
Closed up by writhing clouds, and
Face the spitting, tossing sea, and
Then, to see the beast itself emerge?
It is a giant thing, which thrusts up
Unexpectedly beyond the nearest
Crashing waves, and also crashes,
Making waves. Alive and huge and
Mighty, what more would one want
To have than that? Well, if one's
Reputation hangs on lines of lurid
Metaphors, and strained associations
And allusions, precious stuff indeed,
The beast itself is not enough.
It must be freighted. When it is,
As fishing nets bind fins and tails
And six-pack plastic closes mouths,
The whale sinks back into its
Darkness, dying, and the reader
Turns away.



Poetry by Lawrence Beck The PoetBay support member heart!
Read 74 times
Written on 2014-02-04 at 23:10

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