John Berryman(1914–1972)
Sonnet 29: "There sat down, once, a thing on Henry's heart"
There sat down, once, a thing on Henry's heart,
so heavy, if he had a hundred years
& more, & weeping, sleepless, in all them time
Henry could not make good.
S t a r t s a g a i n a l w a y s i n H e n r y ' s e a r s
t h e l i t t l e c o u g h s o m e w h e r e , a n o d o r , a c h i m e .
A n d t h e r e i s a n o t h e r t h i n g h e h a s i n m i n d
like a grave Sienese face 8 a thousand years
would fail to blur the still profiled reproach of. Ghastly,
with open eyes, he attends, blind.
All the bells say: too late. This is not for tears;
thinking.
B u t n e v e r d i d H e n r y , a s h e t h o u g h t h e d i d ,
e n d a n y o n e a n d h a c k s h e r b o d y u p
and hide the pieces, where they may be found.
He knows: he went over everyone, & nobody's missing.
O f t e n h e r e c k o n s , i n t h e d a w n , t h e m u p .
N o b o d y i s e v e r m i s s i n g .