To Earthward
Love at the lips was touch
As sweet as I could bear;
And once that seemed too much;
I lived on air
That crossed me from sweet things,
The scent of was it musk
From hidden grapevine springs
Down hill at dusk?
I had the swirl and ache
From sprays of honeysuckle
That when they’re gathered shake
Dew on the knuckle.
I craved sweet things, but those
Seemed strong when I was young;
The petal of the rose
It was that stung.
Now no joy but lacks salt
That is not dashed with pain
And weariness and fault;
I crave the stain
Of tears, the aftermark
Of almost too much love,
The sweet of bitter bark
And burning clove.
When stiff and sore and scarred
I take away my hand
From leaning on it hard
In grass and sand,
The hurt is not enough:
I long for weight and strength
To feel the earth as rough
To all my length.





Related poetry:
- Song The weight of the world is love. Under the burden of solitude, Under the burden of dissatisfaction the weight, The […]...
- Mist In The Valley These hills, to hurt me more, That am hurt already enough,- Having left the sea behind, Having turned suddenly and […]...
- Heroes This war’s dead heroes, who has seen them? They rise in smoke above the burning city, Faint clouds, dissolving into […]...
- Quick And Bitter The end was quick and bitter. Slow and sweet was the time between us, Slow and sweet were the nights […]...
- Two Truths Darling,’ he said, ‘I never meant To hurt you;’ and his eyes were wet. ‘I would not hurt you for […]...
- Sometimes The Sky's Too Bright Sometimes the sky’s too bright, Or has too many clouds or birds, And far away’s too sharp a sun To […]...
- Poem 94 NAthlesse the cruell boy not so content, Would needs the fly pursue: And in his hand with heedlesse hardiment, Him […]...
- A Leave-Taking Let us go hence, my songs; she will not hear. Let us go hence together without fear; Keep silence now, […]...
- Non Dolet It does not hurt. She looked along the knife Smiling, and watched the thick drops mix and run Down the […]...
- Down By The Salley Gardens Down by the salley gardens my love and I did meet; She passed the salley gardens with little snow-white feet. […]...
- The One Before the Last I dreamt I was in love again With the One Before the Last, And smiled to greet the pleasant pain […]...
- Tears TEARS! tears! tears! In the night, in solitude, tears; On the white shore dripping, dripping, suck’d in by the sand; […]...
- Love Lies Bleeding Love lies bleeding in the bed whereover Roses lean with smiling mouths or pleading: Earth lies laughing where the sun’s […]...
- Poem Of Night 1 I move my hand over Slopes, falls, lumps of sight, Lashes barely able to be touched, Lips that give […]...
- The Burned Child Love has had his way with me. This my heart is torn and maimed Since he took his play with […]...
- Man Child All day he lay upon the sand When summer sun was bright, And let the grains sift through his hand […]...
- The Earth-Child in the Grass In the very early morning Long before Dawn time I lay down in the paddock And listened to the cold […]...
- Liebestod When I was bold, when I was bold- And that’s a hundred years!- Oh, never I thought my breast could […]...
- Song What I took in my hand Grew in weight. You must Understand it Was not obscene. Night comes. We sleep. […]...
- To Caroline Think’st thou I saw thy beauteous eyes, Suffus’d in tears, implore to stay; And heard unmov’d thy plenteous sighs, Which […]...
- Clenched Soul We have lost even this twilight. No one saw us this evening hand in hand While the blue night dropped […]...
- Sheltered Garden I have had enough. I gasp for breath. Every way ends, every road, Every foot-path leads at last To the […]...
- I Saw From the Beach I saw from the beach, when the morning was shining, A bark o’er the waters move gloriously on; I came […]...
- Romance To clasp you now and feel your head close-pressed, Scented and warm against my beating breast; To whisper soft and […]...
- AFTER-SENSATIONS WHEN the vine again is blowing, Then the wine moves in the cask; When the rose again is glowing, Wherefore […]...
- Rose Pogonias A SATURATED meadow, Sun-shaped and jewel-small, A circle scarcely wider Than the trees around were tall; Where winds were quite […]...
- November There is wind where the rose was, Cold rain where sweet grass was, And clouds like sheep Stream o’er the […]...
- Dance Me To The End Of Love Dance me to your beauty with a burning violin Dance me through the panic ’til I’m gathered safely in Lift […]...
- The Merciful Hand Written to Miss Alice L. F. Fitzgerald, Edith Cavell memorial nurse, going to the front. Your fine white hand is […]...
- Felo de Se With Apologies to Mr. Swinburne. For repose I have sighed and have struggled ; have sigh’d and have struggled in […]...
- There was, before me There was, before me, Mile upon mile Of snow, ice, burning sand. And yet I could look beyond all this, […]...
- Memory When I was young my heart and head were light, And I was gay and feckless as a colt Out […]...
- Regret It’s not for laws I’ve broken That bitter tears I’ve wept, But solemn vows I’ve spoken And promises unkept; It’s […]...
- Ripening The longer we are together The larger death grows around us. How many we know by now Who are dead! […]...
- Coral This coral’s hape ecohes the hand It hollowed. Its Immediate absence is heavy. As pumice, As your breast in my […]...
- Yellow One pearly day of early May I strolled upon the sand, And saw, say half-a-mile away A man with gun […]...
- About the Little Girl that Beat Her Sister Go, go, my naughty girl, and kiss Your little sister dear; I must not have such things as this, And […]...
- Sunset From Omaha Hotel Window INTO the blue river hills The red sun runners go And the long sand changes And to-day is a goner […]...
- The Spring And The Fall In the spring of the year, in the spring of the year, I walked the road beside my dear. The […]...
- Sanary Her little hot room looked over the bay Through a stiff palisade of glinting palms, And there she would lie […]...