<html><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><div dir="auto" style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><header style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px;" class=""><h1 itemprop="headline" class="entry-title articleHeadline" style="text-align: left; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 5px; border: 0px; line-height: normal; font-weight: normal; color: rgb(34, 34, 34);"><font size="4" class="">Let’s Not Begin</font></h1></header><div class="post-content" style="margin: 36px 0px 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px;"><p style="margin: 0px 0px 1.3em; padding: 0px 0px 0px 1px; border: 0px; line-height: 1.7em; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; widows: 1; word-spacing: 1.44px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="">Let’s not begin the poem with <i style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px;" class="">and,</i><br class="">though it begins that way</p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 1.3em; padding: 0px 0px 0px 1px; border: 0px; line-height: 1.7em; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; widows: 1; word-spacing: 1.44px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="">in spirit: one in a long list of—<br class="">let’s not call them grievances.</p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 1.3em; padding: 0px 0px 0px 1px; border: 0px; line-height: 1.7em; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; widows: 1; word-spacing: 1.44px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="">I’m trying to love the world,<br class="">I am, but is it too much</p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 1.3em; padding: 0px 0px 0px 1px; border: 0px; line-height: 1.7em; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; widows: 1; word-spacing: 1.44px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="">to ask for two parts bees<br class="">vibrating their cups of pollen,</p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 1.3em; padding: 0px 0px 0px 1px; border: 0px; line-height: 1.7em; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; widows: 1; word-spacing: 1.44px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="">humming a perfect <i style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px;" class="">A</i> note,<br class="">to one part sting?</p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 1.3em; padding: 0px 0px 0px 1px; border: 0px; line-height: 1.7em; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; widows: 1; word-spacing: 1.44px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="">Worry and console, worry<br class="">and console: it’s how I stay</p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 1.3em; padding: 0px 0px 0px 1px; border: 0px; line-height: 1.7em; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; widows: 1; word-spacing: 1.44px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="">in shape. See, I’m sweating.<br class="">Some nights my daughter cries,</p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 1.3em; padding: 0px 0px 0px 1px; border: 0px; line-height: 1.7em; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; widows: 1; word-spacing: 1.44px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class=""><i style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px;" class="">I don’t want to be in the dirt,</i><br class="">and this is what I call a workout.</p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 1.3em; padding: 0px 0px 0px 1px; border: 0px; line-height: 1.7em; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; widows: 1; word-spacing: 1.44px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="">My heart’s galloping hell<br class="">and gone from the paddock—</p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 1.3em; padding: 0px 0px 0px 1px; border: 0px; line-height: 1.7em; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; widows: 1; word-spacing: 1.44px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class=""><i style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px;" class="">I don’t want to be in the dirt<br class="">because I’ll miss you—</i></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 1.3em; padding: 0px 0px 0px 1px; border: 0px; line-height: 1.7em; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; widows: 1; word-spacing: 1.44px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="">and there’s no stopping me.<br class="">But let’s not end</p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 1.3em; padding: 0px 0px 0px 1px; border: 0px; line-height: 1.7em; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; widows: 1; word-spacing: 1.44px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="">with the heart as horse,<br class="">fear-lathered, spooked deaf.</p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 1.3em; padding: 0px 0px 0px 1px; border: 0px; line-height: 1.7em; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; widows: 1; word-spacing: 1.44px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="">I’m trying, I am, for her.<br class="">If I list everything I love</p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 1.3em; padding: 0px 0px 0px 1px; border: 0px; line-height: 1.7em; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; widows: 1; word-spacing: 1.44px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="">about the world, and if the list<br class="">is long and heavy enough,</p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 1.3em; padding: 0px 0px 0px 1px; border: 0px; line-height: 1.7em; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; widows: 1; word-spacing: 1.44px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="">I can lift it over and over—<br class=""><i style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px;" class="">repetitions,</i> they’re called, <i style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px;" class="">reps—</i></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 1.3em; padding: 0px 0px 0px 1px; border: 0px; line-height: 1.7em; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; widows: 1; word-spacing: 1.44px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="">to keep my heart on, to keep<br class="">the dirt off. Let’s begin</p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 1.3em; padding: 0px 0px 0px 1px; border: 0px; line-height: 1.7em; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; widows: 1; word-spacing: 1.44px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="">with bees, and the hum,<br class="">and the honey singing</p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 1.3em; padding: 0px 0px 0px 1px; border: 0px; line-height: 1.7em; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; widows: 1; word-spacing: 1.44px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="">on my tongue, and the child<br class="">sleeping at last, <i style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px;" class="">and, and, and—</i></p><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class=""><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>- Maggie Smith</div><div class=""><i style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px;" class=""><br class=""></i></div></div></div></body></html>