Preface to Courage

Remember when the shadows on the grass spoke
A listless whispering to the other shapes
an innocent game, passing triangles, squares and star shapes
through holes fit only for triangles, squares and star shapes.

For the chubby hands of cherubs,
pretty soon it became natural to believe in polymers
all science was self-evident, peek-a-boo

but when a knee scrapes
we want the gentle hands of sentiment
immune to the rehearsals

the horizon appears a mighty ocean of flesh
spying is an incision
its museums quiet death
yet
knowing as the poets do not,
that we cannot make ourselves white enough
for the white walls of eternity.