from
IGNORANCE OF THE LAW IS NO EXCUSE
John Ashbery

...
We went down gently
to the bottom-most step. There you can grieve and breathe,
rinse your possessions in the chilly spring.
Only beware the bears and wolves that frequent it
and the shadow that comes when you expect dawn.

(via Languagehat | The Bee's Hymn)

:: note :: . . . spring seems hardly here but last week stood by the river at twilight with a small group of four to watch a fire of burning masks . . . the geese honked wildly figuring something was up . . . the embers were sucked into the bog/mud of the riverbank . . . grieve&breathe . . . climbing up the bank our heavy breathing and the moon penetrated the silence . . . looked back . . . always looking back . . . not expecting dawn but hope . . . hope dies last . . .