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The Masterpiece
I take the rules of grammar
and guides to good language
and clutch them
to heart-and-mind.
Know what is
and what is not
merely fashion;
learn what old masters
praised highly,
although the wisdom of a subtle mind
is often scoffed at
by the public.
The brilliant semi-precious stones
of popular fashion
are as common as beans in the field
Though the writers
of my generation
produce in profusion,
all their real jewels
cannot fill the little cup
I make of my fingers.
As infinite as space, good work
joins earth to heaven;
it comes from nothing,
like air through a bellows.
We carry the bucket from the well,
but the bucket soon is empty.
Wanting every word to sing,
every writer worries:
nothing is ever perfected;
no poet can afford to become complacent
We hear a jade bell’s laughter
and think it laughs at us.
For a poet, there is terror in the dust.
Sam Hamill
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