Sun on their naked shoulders
Like a sparkling hand;
Marge and her big-legged sweetie
Laughing to beat the band—
O glory in the Garden!
He finds her halter straps
And such pretties are exposed;
Yet, Wonder—now what is that?
Perhaps the water knows.
Thunder rides with the gnat.
Ah, each day a weaker bridge is crossed,
And nearer rush the wings;
Too soon all youthful swagger’s lost
In the dark hurry of things.
Kenneth Patchen
Since the Tiny Yellow Rose by Kenneth Patchen
Since the tiny yellow rose
In the vase beside the candles
And the single drop of water
Upon this leafs uppermost tip
—Proof of mystery? or just
Two meaningless occurrences from
A meaningless physical world?
And your lovely fingers lifting a cup,
Or smoothing a crease in the table cloth
—To me so beautiful that my heart cries
With joy and pride at their nearness
What There Is by Kenneth Patchen
In this my green world
Flowers birds are hands
They hold me
I am loved all day
All this pleases me
I am amused
I have to laugh from crying
Trees mountains are arms
I am loved all day
Children grass are tears
I cry
I am loved all day
Everything
Pompous makes me laugh
I am amused often enough
In this
My beautiful green world
O there’s love all day
In Memory of Kathleen by Kenneth Patchen
How pitiful is her sleep.
Now her clear breath is still.
There is nothing falling tonight,
Bird or man,
As dear as she.
Nowhere that she should go
Without me. None but my calling.
O nothing but the cold cry of the snow.
What There Is by Kenneth Patchen
In this green world
Flowers birds are hands
They hold me
I am loved all day
All this pleases me
I am amused
I have to laugh from crying
Trees mountains are arms
I am loved all day
Children grass are tears
I cry
I am loved all day
Everything
Pompous makes me laugh
I am amused often enouıgh
In this
My beautiful green world
O there’s love all day
Do Me That Love by Kenneth Patchen
Do me that love
As a tree, tree
Where birds and wind
Sing though they know
How real night is
And no one can
Go on for long
In any way
Do me that love
Do me that love
As the rain, rain
That has voices
In it, the greats’
The fools’, poor dead
From old weathers—
Lives considered
And rejected
As ours will be.
The rain comes down
And flowers grow
On the graves of
Our enemies
Do me that love
She Is The Prettiest Of Creatures by Kenneth Patchen
She is the prettiest of creatures
All like a queen is she
I have made a paper wheel
And I pin it to her dress
We lie together sometimes
And it is as nice as music
When you are half asleep
And then we want to cry because
We are so clean and warm
And sometimes it is raining
And the little drops scuttle
Like the feet of angels on the roof
Do Me That Love by Kenneth Patchen
Do me that love
As a tree, tree
Where birds and wind
Sing though they know
How real night is
And no one can
Go on for long
In any way
Do me that love
Do me that love
As the rain, rain
That has voices
In it, the greats’
And fools’, poor dead
From old weathers–
Lives considered
And rejected
As ours will be.
The rain comes down
And flowers grow
On the graves of
Our enemies
Do me that love
Leonard Durso 