Mortal Limit
I saw the hawk ride updraft in the sunset over Wyoming.
It rose from coniferous darkness, past gray jags
Of mercilessness, past whiteness, into the gloaming
Of dream-spectral light above the lazy purity of snow-snags.
There west were the Tetons. Snow-peaks would soon be
In dark profile to break constellations. Beyond what height
Hangs now the black speck? Beyond what range will gold eyes see
New ranges rise to mark a last scrawl of light?
Or, having tasted that atmosphere’s thinness, does it
Hang motionless in dying vision before
It knows it will accept the mortal limit,
And swing into the great circular downwardness that will restore
The breath of earth? Of rock? Of rot? Of other such
Items, and the darkness of whatever dream we clutch?





Related poetry:
- Petropolis From a fearful height, a wandering light, But does a star glitter like this, crying? Transparent star, wandering light Your […]...
- Within my Garden, rides a Bird Within my Garden, rides a Bird Upon a single Wheel Whose spokes a dizzy Music make As ’twere a travelling […]...
- Shiva There is a hawk that is picking the birds out of our sky, She killed the pigeons of peace and […]...
- On a Hill-top BEARDED with dewy grass the mountains thrust Their blackness high into the still grey light, Deepening to blue: far up […]...
- On Winter's Margin On winter’s margin, see the small birds now With half-forged memories come flocking home To gardens famous for their charity. […]...
- Mirage The hope I dreamed of was a dream, Was but a dream; and now I wake, Exceeding comfortless, and worn, […]...
- Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night Do not go gentle into that good night, Old age should burn and rave at close of day; Rage, rage […]...
- The Mortal One Three months after he lies dead, that Long yellow narrow body, Not like Christ but like one of his saints, […]...
- Marine Snow At Mid-Depths And Down As you descend, slowly, falling faster past You this snow, Ghostly, some flakes bio- Luminescent (you plunge, And this lit […]...
- Mortal Enemy Let another cross his way- She’s the one will do the weeping! Little need I fear he’ll stray Since I […]...
- Were natural mortal lady Were natural mortal lady Who had so little time To pack her trunk and order The great exchange of clime […]...
- To What Serves Mortal Beauty? To what serves mortal beauty ‘-dangerous; does set danc- Ing blood-the O-seal-that-so ‘ feature, flung prouder form Than Purcell tune […]...
- First Sight Lambs that learn to walk in snow When their bleating clouds the air Meet a vast unwelcome, know Nothing but […]...
- Sonnet 46: Mine eye and heart are at a mortal war Mine eye and heart are at a mortal war How to divide the conquest of thy sight; Mine eye my […]...
- Tцrnfallet There is a meadow in Sweden Where I lie smitten, Eyes stained with clouds’ White ins and outs. And about […]...
- Room 4: The Painter Chap He gives me such a bold and curious look, That young American across the way, As if he’d like to […]...
- REVERSIBILITY ANGEL of gaiety, have you tasted grief? Shame and remorse and sobs and weary spite, And the vague terrors of […]...
- Evening Hawk From plane of light to plane, wings dipping through Geometries and orchids that the sunset builds, Out of the peak’s […]...
- September 1961 This is the year the old ones, The old great ones Leave us alone on the road. The road leads […]...
- The Snow Storm No hawk hangs over in this air: The urgent snow is everywhere. The wing adroiter than a sail Must lean […]...
- The Admirations and Contempts of time The Admirations and Contempts of time Show justest through an Open Tomb The Dying as it were a Height Reorganizes […]...
- Dying! Dying in the night! Dying! Dying in the night! Won’t somebody bring the light So I can see which way to go Into the […]...
- A Dream In visions of the dark night I have dreamed of joy departed- But a waking dream of life and light […]...
- My Dead Dream HAVE YOU found me, at last, O my Dream? Seven eons ago You died and I buried you deep under […]...
- In Harbour I. Goodnight and goodbye to the life whose signs denote us As mourners clothed with regret for the life gone […]...
- It Is March It is March and black dust falls out of the books Soon I will be gone The tall spirit who […]...
- The Mole Said he: “I’ll dive deep in the Past, And write a book of direful days When summer skies were overcast […]...
- To Elizabeth Ward Perkins Dear Bessie, would my tired rhyme Had force to rise from apathy, And shaking off its lethargy Ring word-tones like […]...
- Have You Seen But A Bright Lily Grow Have you seen but a bright lily grow Before rude hands have touched it? Have you marked but the fall […]...
- Day IN day from some titanic past it seems As if a thread divine of memory runs; Born ere the Mighty […]...
- In The Well My father cinched the rope, A noose around my waist, And lowered me into The darkness. I could taste My […]...
- Dust When the white flame in us is gone, And we that lost the world’s delight Stiffen in darkness, left alone […]...
- Distressed Haiku In a week or ten days The snow and ice Will melt from Cemetery Road. I’m coming! Don’t move! Once […]...
- Last Word To Childhood Ice-cold fear has slowly decreased As my bones have grown, my height increased. Though I shiver in snow of dreams, […]...
- Too scanty 'twas to die for you Too scanty ’twas to die for you, The merest Greek could that. The living, Sweet, is costlier I offer even […]...
- There Are Not Many Kingdoms Left I write the lips of the moon upon her shoulders. In a Temple of silvery farawayness I guard her to […]...
- Blow, Bugle, Blow THE splendour falls on castle walls And snowy summits old in story: The long light shakes across the lakes, And […]...
- A Necklace These veines are nature’s nett, These cords by art are sett. If love himselfe flye here, Love is intangled here. […]...
- Twice Shy Her scarf a la Bardot, In suede flats for the walk, She came with me one evening For air and […]...
- The End of the World Here, at the end of the world, The flowers bleed As if they were hearts, The hearts ooze a darkness […]...