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1 " Our little partyGot under way as best it could. The twigsUnclenched, the greedy rosebuds caked with smut.The ill-knit creatures, now in huesOf sunstroke, mulberry, white of clown,Yellow of bile, bruise-blacks-and-blues,Stumped outward, waving matchstick arms,Colliding, poking, hurt, in tears "
― James Merrill , Collected Poems
2 " Nor do I try to keep a garden, onlyAn avocado in a glass of water --Roots pallid, gemmed with air. And later,When the small gilt leaves have grownFleshy and green, I let them die, yes, yes,And start another. I am earth's no less. "
3 " The sky is realest: the sky cannotBe touched and in the mirror it cannotBe touched. He is enchanted. The rare azurIs flawless; happily blurred blue is no whitLess exquisite than blue unblurred. And whatHe misses he would never know was there. "