He claps a hand
Across the gaping hole—
Or else the sight might
Well inside to
Melt the mind—if any
Thinking spoke
Were in the wheel,
Or any real
Fright-fragments broke
Out of the gorge to
Soak the breast, the meaning
Might incite a stroke—best
Press against it, close
The clawhole, stand
In stupor, petrified. The dream
Be damned, the deeps defied.
The hand’s to keep
The scream inside.
From: https://poetryarchive.org/poem/man-street/
Date: 2006
By: Heather McHugh (1948- )
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