circumstance interests, and the time;
the poet might be virtuous or vicious,
but when the poem and you stand toe to toe
in that hushed arena of the mind,
all this is shed -
like the boxer's glitter-gown, the strut, the trumpetings,
and the poem stands or falls
on its own merit.
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©Renate Mitchell. May not be reproduced in any form online or offline without explicit written permission.