<html><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=us-ascii"></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; line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><div style="margin: 0px;" class=""><font class="Apple-style-span" size="5"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 18px;">The Thread</span></font></div><div style="margin: 0px;" class=""><font class="Apple-style-span" size="5"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 18px;"> </span></font></div><div style="margin: 0px;" class=""><font class="Apple-style-span" size="5"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 18px;">Something is very gently,</span></font><font class="Apple-style-span" size="5"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 18px;"> </span></font></div><div style="margin: 0px;" class=""><font class="Apple-style-span" size="5"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 18px;">invisibly, silently,</span></font><font class="Apple-style-span" size="5"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 18px;"> </span></font></div><div style="margin: 0px;" class=""><font class="Apple-style-span" size="5"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 18px;">pulling at me-a thread</span></font><font class="Apple-style-span" size="5"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 18px;"> </span></font></div><div style="margin: 0px;" class=""><font class="Apple-style-span" size="5"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 18px;">or net of threads</span></font><font class="Apple-style-span" size="5"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 18px;"> </span></font></div><div style="margin: 0px;" class=""><font class="Apple-style-span" size="5"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 18px;">finer than cobweb and as</span></font><font class="Apple-style-span" size="5"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 18px;"> </span></font></div><div style="margin: 0px;" class=""><font class="Apple-style-span" size="5"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 18px;">elastic. I haven't tried</span></font><font class="Apple-style-span" size="5"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 18px;"> </span></font></div><div style="margin: 0px;" class=""><font class="Apple-style-span" size="5"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 18px;">the strength of it. No barbed hook</span></font><font class="Apple-style-span" size="5"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 18px;"> </span></font></div><div style="margin: 0px;" class=""><font class="Apple-style-span" size="5"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 18px;">pierced and tore me. Was it</span></font><font class="Apple-style-span" size="5"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 18px;"> </span></font></div><div style="margin: 0px;" class=""><font class="Apple-style-span" size="5"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 18px;">not long ago this thread</span></font><font class="Apple-style-span" size="5"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 18px;"> </span></font></div><div style="margin: 0px;" class=""><font class="Apple-style-span" size="5"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 18px;">began to draw me? Or</span></font><font class="Apple-style-span" size="5"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 18px;"> </span></font></div><div style="margin: 0px;" class=""><font class="Apple-style-span" size="5"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 18px;">way back? Was I</span></font><font class="Apple-style-span" size="5"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 18px;"> </span></font></div><div style="margin: 0px;" class=""><font class="Apple-style-span" size="5"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 18px;">born with its knot about my</span></font><font class="Apple-style-span" size="5"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 18px;"> </span></font></div><div style="margin: 0px;" class=""><font class="Apple-style-span" size="5"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 18px;">neck, a bridle? Not fear</span></font><font class="Apple-style-span" size="5"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 18px;"> </span></font></div><div style="margin: 0px;" class=""><font class="Apple-style-span" size="5"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 18px;">but a stirring</span></font><font class="Apple-style-span" size="5"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 18px;"> </span></font></div><div style="margin: 0px;" class=""><font class="Apple-style-span" size="5"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 18px;">of wonder makes me</span></font><font class="Apple-style-span" size="5"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 18px;"> </span></font></div><div style="margin: 0px;" class=""><font class="Apple-style-span" size="5"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 18px;">catch my breath when I feel</span></font><font class="Apple-style-span" size="5"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 18px;"> </span></font></div><div style="margin: 0px;" class=""><font class="Apple-style-span" size="5"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 18px;">the tug of it when I thought</span></font><font class="Apple-style-span" size="5"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 18px;"> </span></font></div><div style="margin: 0px;" class=""><font class="Apple-style-span" size="5"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 18px;">it had loosened itself and gone.</span></font><font class="Apple-style-span" size="5"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 18px;"> </span></font></div><div style="margin: 0px;" class=""><font class="Apple-style-span" size="5"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 18px;"><br class="khtml-block-placeholder"></span></font></div><div style="margin: 0px;" class=""><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span><font class="Apple-style-span" size="5"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 18px;">- Denise Levertov</span></font></div></div></body></html>