George Bowering
ASK A STUPID QUESTION


"How do I love thee?"

You talking to me, Lady?

     "What men or gods are these? What maidens loth?
  What mad pursuit? What struggle to escape?
       What pipes and timbrels? What wild ecstasy?"

Lady, that's just some old pot. 

"A child said What is the grass?"

I hope you pointed at the green stuff.

"Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?"

Oh, yeah, that's just what I need. I'm hot and dry and long.

"If you were going to get a pet
  what kind of animal would you get."

Maybe a big dog, to keep strangers away, stranger.

"If Winter comes, can Spring be far behind?"

I'd guess about three months.

"Shall I part my hair behind? Do I dare to eat a peach?"

Hey, you can part your bare behind. You can eat a watermelon, for all I care.

"And you, Garcia Lorca, what were you doing down by the watermelons?"

Heh heh heh heh heh.

"What immortal hand or eye,
  Could frame thy fearful symmetry?"

You think that's scary? You should see my bare behind!

"How can we know the dancer from the dance?"

Well, you see, the babe with the tutu on: she's the dancer. That stuff she's doing? 
That's the dance. Jesus, Lady, dont you know anything?




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