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Portent

by William Carlos Williams, 1913

Red cradle of the night,
     In you
          The dusky child
Sleeps fast till his might
   Shall be piled
Sinew on sinew.

Red cradle of the night,
   The dusky child
Sleeping sits upright.
   Lo how
                    The winds blow now!
   He pillows back;
The winds are again mild.

When he stretches his arms out,
Red cradle of the night,
   The alarms shout
From bare tree to tree,
   Wild
             In afright!
Mighty shall he be,
Red cradle of the night,
   The dusky child!!

Tags: halloween, landscapes

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