Darknesss is Deep William Stafford

​   If you don’t know the kind of person I am
   And I don’t know the kind of person you are
   A pattern that others made may prevail in the world
   And following the wrong God home we may miss our star.
   For there is many a small betrayal 
   In the mind
   A shrug that lets the fragile sequence break
   Sending with shouts the horrible effects of childhood
   Storming out to play through the broken dike.
   And as elephants parade holding each elephants tail
   But if one wanders
   The circus won’t find the park.
   I call it cruel 
   And maybe the root of all cruelty 
   To know what occurs 
   But not recognize the fact.
   And so I appeal to a voice
   To something shadowy 
   A remote, important region in all who talk.
   Though we could fool each other 
   We should consider 
   Lest the parade of our mutual life
   Get lost in the dark
   For it is important that awake people
   Be awake
   For a breaking line may discourage them
   Back to sleep.
   The signals we give 
   Yes or no or maybe
   Should be clear
   The darkness around us is deep.
 
 
                                                      William Stafford.