The River Of Bees

Portrait of W.S. Merwin
W.S. Merwin 1927–2019

In a dream I returned to the river of bees Five orange trees by the bridge and Beside two mills my house Into whose courtyard a blind man followed The goats and stood singing Of what was older

Soon it will be fifteen years

He was old he will have fallen into his eyes

I took my eyes A long way to the calenders Room after room asking how shall I live

One of the ends is made of streets One man processions carry through it Empty bottles their Images of hope It was offered to me by name

Once once and once In the same city I was born Asking what shall I say

He will have fallen into his mouth Men think they are better than grass

I return to his voice rising like a forkful of hay

He was old he is not real nothing is real Nor the noise of death drawing water

We are the echo of the future

On the door it says what to do to survive But we were not born to survive Only to live

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