Because we rage inside
the old boundaries,
like a young girl leaving the Church,
scared of her parents.
Because we all dream of saving
the shaggy, dung-caked buffalo,
shielding the herd with our bodies.
Because grief unites us,
like the locked antlers of moose
who die on their knees in pairs.
* * * * *
William Matthews (1942-1997) was a poet and essayist who held many academic positions during his career. His collections include Sleek for the Long Flight; Time & Money (1996), which won the National Book Critics Circle Award; and Selected Poems and Translations, 1969-1991(1992).
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