God give you pardon from gratitude
and other mild forms of servitude
and make peace for all of us
with what is easy.
—Robert Creeley
Addendum (April 9, 2001) Ok, fine, I admit it! Creeley's written a lot more poems with this title! Here's another:
How simply
for another
pace the firtues,
peace and goodwill.
Sing pleasure,
the window's opening,
unseen back of it
the door closes.
How peace, how happiness,
locked as insistence,
force weather, see sun
and won't look back.
—from Words: Section II of The Collected Poems of Robert Creeley
and another:
I wouldn't
embarrass you
ever.
If there were
not place
or time for it,
I would go,
go elsewhere,
remembering.
I would
sit in a
flower, a face, not
to embarrass
you, would
be unhappy
quietly, would
never
make a noise.
Simpler,
simpler you
deal with me.
—Ibid.
and another (November 25, 2001), not from the Collected Poems this time but the back of a recently rediscovered old notebook in which I'd collected a few assorted Creeleys from other sources:
Love has no other friends
than those given it, as us,
in confusion of trust and dependance.
We want the world a wonder
and wait for it to become one
I wonder where they'll all find room
to honor love in their own turn
before they must move on.
It's said the night comes
and ends all dillusions and dreams,
in despite of our present sleeping.
But here I lie with you
and want for nothing more
than time in which to -----
till love itself dies with me
at last the end I thought to see
of everything that can be.
No! All vanity, all mind flies
but love remains, nor dies
even without me. Never dies.