The way the world is not
Astonished at you
It doesn’t blink a leaf
When we step from the house
Leads me to think
That beauty is natural, unremarkable
And not to be spoken of
Except in the course of things
The course of singing and worksharing
The course of squeezes and neighbors
The course of you tying back your raving hair to go out
And the course of course of me
Astonished at you
The way the world is not
Bill Knott was the author of over ten books of poetry and numerous self-published volumes. His honors include the Iowa Poetry Prize and a Guggenheim Fellowship. Knott died on March 12, 2014.
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