“

Now reading

Pleasantry

Never by a window,
Never near a wall
Troubled with a thousand shadows,
Have I watched the evening fall.

Never wall nor window
Had much to do with me-
I who had for gracious living
A hut beside the sea.

And when the half lights gather
Like a flock of narrow birds,

Think of me listening myself to death
On the ocean's mumbled words.

41,493

poems

4,155

poets

207

poetic terms

Browse the collection

Explore the archive →

Selected

Poems worth returning to

The glossary

The language about poetry

From aubade to zuihitsu, 207 definitions of the forms, figures, and schools that shape the line.

Explore the glossary→