Dim Imprecision: Ambiguity and Clarity
“Poetry could reflect on itself, acknowledge its dim imprecision,
and know itself to be interpreted and not a window onto pure truth.” ~
http://ndpr.nd.edu/news/plato-and-the-poets/
True poetry is dim and likes a torch
Concealed inside a royal lantern hung
In layered cloths above a castle porch.
Such poetry is like a punctured lung
That breathes out scarlet air but through a grill,
A visor, and through bandages the lips
Resist but cannot move. These poems fill
The night air like a fleet of smoldering ships.
True poetry is bright and likes a flame
That feeds on flesh. These spirit poems flare
In White Sands deserts. Only God can tame
Them. They are like a Nagasaki glare.
True poetry is dimness, brightness, both
At once, a traitor’s muttered oath.