The Fist
The fist clenched round my heart
loosens a little, and I gasp
brightness; but it tightens
again. When have I ever not loved
the pain of love? But this has moved
past love to mania. This has the strong
clench of the madman, this is
gripping the ledge of unreason, before
plunging howling into the abyss.
Hold hard then, heart. This way at least you live.
■
The fist clenched round my heart
loosens a little, and I gasp
brightness; but it tightens
again. When have I ever not loved
the pain of love? But this has moved
past love to mania. This has the strong
clench of the madman, this is
gripping the ledge of unreason, before
plunging howling into the abyss.
Hold hard then, heart. This way at least you live.
■
“The Fist” can be found in poet Derek Walcott’s Collected Poems: 1948-1984.
Walcott is one of two Nobel Laureates from Saint Lucia (the other is economist William Arthur Lewis), making Saint Lucia the country with the highest Nobels per capita in the world.
For another outstanding fist poem, see “Making A Fist” by Naomi Shihab Nye.
Walcott is one of two Nobel Laureates from Saint Lucia (the other is economist William Arthur Lewis), making Saint Lucia the country with the highest Nobels per capita in the world.
For another outstanding fist poem, see “Making A Fist” by Naomi Shihab Nye.