[I hear laughter]
I hear laughter where late was lamenting
How short the span that separates
Tears from trembling joy.
—
The river that should have flowed
Stood still. A dog’s bark
Crackerjacked across the fields.
—
This is the time of day
When the fingers of darkness
Come down among the trees
From the hand that is the sky
—
Where the river has deeps and shallows
Is the eye best pleased.
Where the meadow rolls and dips
Is the heart most warmed.