<html aria-label="message body"><head><meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=us-ascii"></head><body style="overflow-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;"><div dir="auto" style="overflow-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;"><div style="box-sizing: border-box; scroll-margin-top: 100px; margin: 0px auto; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: none; background-position: 0% 0%; background-size: auto; background-repeat: repeat; background-attachment: scroll; background-origin: padding-box; background-clip: border-box; max-width: var(--responsive--aligndefault-width); width: var(--responsive--aligndefault-width); caret-color: rgb(25, 25, 25); color: rgb(25, 25, 25); font-size: 22px;">December Night</div><div style="box-sizing: border-box; scroll-margin-top: 100px; margin: 0px auto; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: none; background-position: 0% 0%; background-size: auto; background-repeat: repeat; background-attachment: scroll; background-origin: padding-box; background-clip: border-box; max-width: var(--responsive--aligndefault-width); width: var(--responsive--aligndefault-width); caret-color: rgb(25, 25, 25); color: rgb(25, 25, 25); font-size: 22px;"><br></div><div style="box-sizing: border-box; scroll-margin-top: 100px; margin: 0px auto; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: none; background-position: 0% 0%; background-size: auto; background-repeat: repeat; background-attachment: scroll; background-origin: padding-box; background-clip: border-box; max-width: var(--responsive--aligndefault-width); width: var(--responsive--aligndefault-width); caret-color: rgb(25, 25, 25); color: rgb(25, 25, 25); font-size: 22px;">The cold slope is standing in darkness<br style="box-sizing: border-box; scroll-margin-top: 100px;">But the south of the trees is dry to the touch</div><div style="box-sizing: border-box; scroll-margin-top: 100px; margin-top: var(--four-spacer); margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: auto; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: none; background-position: 0% 0%; background-size: auto; background-repeat: repeat; background-attachment: scroll; background-origin: padding-box; background-clip: border-box; max-width: var(--responsive--aligndefault-width); width: var(--responsive--aligndefault-width); caret-color: rgb(25, 25, 25); color: rgb(25, 25, 25); font-size: 22px;">The heavy limbs climb into the moonlight bearing feathers<br style="box-sizing: border-box; scroll-margin-top: 100px;">I came to watch these<br style="box-sizing: border-box; scroll-margin-top: 100px;">White plants older at night<br style="box-sizing: border-box; scroll-margin-top: 100px;">The oldest<br style="box-sizing: border-box; scroll-margin-top: 100px;">Come first to the ruins</div><div style="box-sizing: border-box; scroll-margin-top: 100px; margin-top: var(--four-spacer); margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: auto; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: none; background-position: 0% 0%; background-size: auto; background-repeat: repeat; background-attachment: scroll; background-origin: padding-box; background-clip: border-box; max-width: var(--responsive--aligndefault-width); width: var(--responsive--aligndefault-width); caret-color: rgb(25, 25, 25); color: rgb(25, 25, 25); font-size: 22px;">And I hear magpies kept awake by the moon<br style="box-sizing: border-box; scroll-margin-top: 100px;">The water flows through its<br style="box-sizing: border-box; scroll-margin-top: 100px;">Own fingers without end<br style="box-sizing: border-box; scroll-margin-top: 100px;">Tonight once more<br style="box-sizing: border-box; scroll-margin-top: 100px;">I find a single prayer and it is not for men</div><div style="box-sizing: border-box; scroll-margin-top: 100px; margin-top: var(--four-spacer); margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: auto; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: none; background-position: 0% 0%; background-size: auto; background-repeat: repeat; background-attachment: scroll; background-origin: padding-box; background-clip: border-box; max-width: var(--responsive--aligndefault-width); width: var(--responsive--aligndefault-width); caret-color: rgb(25, 25, 25); color: rgb(25, 25, 25); font-size: 22px;"><br></div><div style="box-sizing: border-box; scroll-margin-top: 100px; margin-top: var(--four-spacer); margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: auto; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: none; background-position: 0% 0%; background-size: auto; background-repeat: repeat; background-attachment: scroll; background-origin: padding-box; background-clip: border-box; max-width: var(--responsive--aligndefault-width); width: var(--responsive--aligndefault-width); caret-color: rgb(25, 25, 25); color: rgb(25, 25, 25); font-size: 22px;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>- W. S. Merwin</div></div></body></html>