Saturday, August 14, 2010

How To Live, Part Two: "Leave Them Alone"

What shall we do about those persons, institutions, and cultural (so to speak) phenomena that get on our nerves?  We each have our own set of irritants, and, if we are not careful, they can drive us to distraction.  Here is some advice from Patrick Kavanagh (1906-1967):

               Leave Them Alone

There's nothing happening that you hate
That's really worthwhile slamming;
Be patient.  If you only wait
You'll see time gently damning

Newspaper bedlamites who raised
Each day the devil's howl,
Versifiers who had seized
The poet's begging bowl;

The whole hysterical passing show
The hour apotheosised
Into a cul-de-sac will go
And be not even despised.

                             William Baziotes, "The Flesh Eaters" (1952)

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