Collected Thoughts

Poetry Time. Elinor Wylie is one of my favorite poets, she does lovely, lovely things with words. Unfortunately she's fallen out of fashion and most of her books are out of print. Luckily I have some of them. This is one of my favorite poems

Pretty Words

Poets make pets of pretty, docile words:
I love smooth words, like gold-enamalled fish
Which circle slowly with a silken swish,
And tender ones, like downy-feathered birds:
Words shy and dappled, deep-eyed deer in herds,
Come to my hand, and playful if I wish,
Or purring softly at a silver dish,
Blue Persian kittens, fed on cream and curds.

I love bright words, words up and singing early;
Words that are luminous in the dark, and sing:
Warm lazy words, white cattle under trees:
I love words opalescent, cool, and pearly,
Like midsummer moths, and honied words like bees,
Gilded and sticky, with a little sting.