Ars PoeticaBY ARCHIBALD MACLEISHA poem should be palpable and mute As a globed fruit,

DumbAs old medallions to the thumb,

Silent as the sleeve-worn stoneOf casement ledges where the moss has grown—

A poem should be wordless As the flight of birds.

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A poem should be motionless in time As the moon climbs,

Leaving, as the moon releasesTwig by twig the night-entangled trees,

Leaving, as the moon behind the winter leaves, Memory by memory the mind—

A poem should be motionless in time As the moon climbs.

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A poem should be equal to:Not true.

For all the history of griefAn empty doorway and a maple leaf.

For loveThe leaning grasses and two lights above the sea—

A poem should not mean But be.