Poetry: Benediction

Bene­dic­tion
–Stan­ley Kunitz
From The Col­lect­ed Poems

God ban­ish from your house
The fly, the roach, the mouse

That riots in the walls
Until the plas­ter falls;

Admon­ish from your door
The hyp­ocrite and liar;

No shy, soft, tigr­ish fear
Per­mit upon your stair,

Nor agents of your doubt.
God dri­ve them whistling out.

Let noth­ing touched with evil,
Let noth­ing that can shrivel

Heart’s ten­der­est frond, intrude
Upon your still, deep blood.

Against the drip of night
God keep all win­dows tight,

Pro­tect your mir­rors from
Sur­prise, delirium,

Admit no trail­ing wind
Into your shut­tered mind

To plume the lake of sleep
With dreams. If you must weep

God give you tears, but leave
You secre­cy to grieve,

And islands for your pride,
And love to nest in your side.