Do not think me gentle
because I speak in praise
of gentleness, or elegant
because I honor the grace
that keeps this world. I am
a man crude as any,
gross of speech, intolerant,
stubborn, angry, full
of fists and furies. That I
may have spoken well
at times, is not natural.
A wonder is what it is.
[Wendell Berry, 'A Warning to my Readers', from New Collected Poems]
Great poem. In light of what's been going on this month, an even better choice.
ReplyDeleteThe last line kills.
I love Wendell Berry, and this one really blew me away. Glad you liked it, too!
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