Voice.(Poem)

for Richard Wilbur

 
   Today I am proud of all poets everywhere, 
   For it's true: the voice is sacred, 
   Such is this mix of meaning, muscle, and air. 
 
   Though they toil in private, as at solitaire, 
   And often will among the living and thrive among the dead, 
   Today I am proud of all poets everywhere 
 
   For they loose the stops, and what issues there 
   Is like a dance upon an isthmus between two seabeds, 
   Such is this mix of meaning, muscle, and air, 
 
   And they are its outlets, ...