I scatter images and
metaphors across my page;
ships loaded high with
weighty cargo.
Poets agree that this common language
may be shaded and revealed
with close analysis.
You confound my every explanation
and attempt. For single example:
Broken leaves should emphasize
dying; each sere and yellowed leaf
a whispered promise that age is
inescapable, even forboding;
yet I cannot help
remembering — you loved the autumn.
*****
October 8, 1996