(for Muriel Rukeyser)

At the end
        of this unit, what
will they know?  Words to 
                                 ferry forward

into the Ocean, salty and 
         wild. The life their feet
may plunge into or wade
          so slowly that the needle

cold punctures the pores
           of  defenseless ankles. 
Once paralyzed, they will not
                     glide out and away. 

Hold on to these words, I 
         want to instruct them. 

You are not a desk at Google 
          or the crap 
you sell. There is an abundance

inside you. The profit
         only for you and 
                   that interior
room, cozy candles
       and dreams
that will matter
            even after you are dead.