If I Could Be Like

William Stafford

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"I'd rather slime along

than be heroic..."

—William Stafford,

"If I Could Be Like

Wallace Stevens,"

The Darkness Around

Us Is Deep

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“Turn into an—

Octopus with words”—

“Eight arms reaching—

Out into the Darkness”

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“The inky Darkness—

That wants to be understood”

“All your suckered fingers—

Reaching out into it”

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“I want you to know—

You can tell it to me”

“Try not to be so—

Mock heroic, just be real”

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“Pride gets in your way—

It’s not easy being gay”

“Whitmanesque rants—

Skip the tan-faced boyz”

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“Be more stoic & gothic—

America is that way, kid”

“Take your time—

Reinvent it as you go along”