Dead Poets Daily

Share this post

Ars Poetica

www.deadpoetsdaily.com

Discover more from Dead Poets Daily

No commentary, no ads, just poems from the greats.
Continue reading
Sign in

Ars Poetica

Archibald Macleish

Nov 7, 2022
Share
A poem should be palpable and mute
As a globed fruit;

Dumb
As old medallions to the thumb;

Silent as the sleeve-worn stone
Of casement ledges where the moss has grown—

A poem should be wordless
As the flight of birds.

A poem should be motionless in time
As the moon climbs;

Leaving, as the moon releases
Twig by twig the night-entangled trees—

Leaving, as the moon behind the winter leaves,
Memory by memory the mind.

A poem should be motionless in time
As the moon climbs.

A poem should be equal to:
Not true.

For all the history of grief
An empty doorway and a maple leaf;

For love
The leaning grasses and two lights above the sea—

A poem should not mean,
But be.
 
 
Share
Previous
Next
Top
New

No posts

Ready for more?

© 2023 Dead Poets Daily
Privacy ∙ Terms ∙ Collection notice
Start WritingGet the app
Substack is the home for great writing