grace

to be graceful
is to deny
our natural
predilection
for shame
and
gaucherie

to do something
gracefully
is often
more
valued
to doing
something
without grace

however
both
may receive
applause
and
admiration

Marie Antoinette
had grace
Cleopatra
had grace
Christ
Beethoven
Earhart
Attilla the hun
all had it

grace is the marching
of armies
and sometimes
their defeat

grace is the flashflood
the wild fire
Dante
in the 9^th circle

it is the scavenger
the pear tree
matchsticks
and the light bulb

traffic cops
boxers
and clerks
in department stores

a herd of horses
chasing
the sun and you
tiptoeing through
the bedroom
after dark
your pregnant
silhouette
balancing the soft
white lines
of my
tired eyes