the trick of finding what you didn’t lose

the trick of finding what you didn’t lose
(existing’s tricky:but to live’s a gift)
the teachable imposture of always
arriving at the place you never left
(and i refer to thinking) rests upon
a dismal misconception; namely that
some neither ape nor angel called a man
is measured by his quote eye cue unquote.
Much better than which,every woman who’s
(despite the ultramachinations of
some loveless infra-world) a woman knows;
and certain men quite possibly may have

shall we say guessed? "we shall” quoth gifted she:
and played the hostess to my more than me


                                            - e e cummings