Friday, July 31, 2009

"In the desert" from The Black Riders by Stephen Crane (1871-1900)

I have been thinking about those lines for a while now. Thought I would share it here with you all

"In the desert" from The Black Riders by Stephen Crane (1871-1900)

In the desert
I saw a creature, naked, bestial,
Who, squatting upon the ground,
Held his heart in his hands,
And ate of it.
I said: “Is it good, friend,”
“It is bitter—bitter,” he answered;
“But I like it
Because it is bitter,
And because it is my heart.”

2 comments:

Staci said...

I don't think I would want my heart to taste bitter...the beast must've lived a harsh existence.

Unknown said...

Excellent. Poetry can cut to the heart of the matter so quickly and so precisely, like a good song lyric does.