Hi Gary,
Fine use of small words here: must, will, may...
And then the mega-big-joined-together words are things I've got to take way 
to unpack (wonder how one word's implied meaning can get so squashed close 
to the next words implied meaning - but I get there!) At a first read of the 
poem, tho, allthebulkisintimidating! (I've sometimes 
put-words-together-like-this to speed the reading, crowd-them-together a bit 
more...)
All in all there's interesting moves between the abstract and the concrete 
happening here... and, in the end, I'm still not sure who the "you" is 
that's being addressed. I sense it changes. But I'm still trying to link 
each "you" that's mentioned...
Bob


>From: Gary Blankenship <[log in to unmask]>
>Reply-To: The Pennine Poetry Works <[log in to unmask]>
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: New:  Timshel
>Date: Tue, 8 Jul 2003 07:36:20 -0700
>
>Ttimshel
>
>
>
>The bee must make honey,
>
>the flower blossoms.
>
>
>
>A dog must chase its tail,
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>a cat lick its fur.
>
>
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>You may -
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>flitch coins from your mother's purse,
>
>leave the last candy for another,
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>drown a fly,
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>forget to close the parakeet cage,
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>name a kitten,
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>pick wild flowers for the supper table,
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>shoot a crow,
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>make a gift of paper, scotch tape and twine.
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>
>
>March rain will drown the earth
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>until violets wave in the green air.
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>
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>August will be dry and hot,
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>the grass brown and tired.
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>
>
>You may liedisablenurtureforget
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>slappraisecurseloveforgiveignore
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>enablehonordemand, you may sin
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>and be sinned against.
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>
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>You may give,
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>reject gifts given,
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>accept rejection
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>
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>or cry at the injustice.
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>
>
>December will end the fallow year,
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>fire logs damp and music muted
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>wrapped away in silk and sackcloth.
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>
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>You may war.
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>You may send young men to war
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>and cry at their passing,
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>erect monuments
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>parade their mothers and fiancées along Main Street.
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>You may sacrifice the best
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>for reasons rationalized in hidden rooms,
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>sweat-soaked nights
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>and love.
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>
>
>January must begin with bells,
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>the ring of celebration of spring's coming
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>premature along country roads,
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>in city alleys and empty lots.
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>
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>You will carry the mark,
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>unseen
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>and prosper.
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>
>
>Salmon may return from the sea,
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>swallows to the barn,
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>a man to home.
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>
>
>timshel*
>
>
>
>*Hebrew for "Thou mayest."
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>IF MY MAIL BOUNCES, MAIL [log in to unmask] AS AN ALTERNATIVE.....The 
>homepage on hold until ???--- Writer's Hood at 
>http://www.writershood.com/.....Check out the Auden contest.  Poets for 
>Peace.... ˇPoemas sí, balas no!

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