Poetry in Motion
Los Angeles
A Renewal
James Merrill
Having used every subterfuge
To shake you, lies, fatigue, or even that of passion,
Now I see no way but a clean break.
I add that I am willing to bear the guilt.
You nod assent. Autumn turns windy, huge,
A clear vase of dry leaves vibrating on and on.
We sit, watching. When I next speak
Love buries itself in me, up to the hilt.
"A Renewal" from Selected Poems 1946-1985 by James Merrill. Copyright © 1992. Reprinted with the permission of Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.