Poetry Explorer

Classic and Contemporary Poetry

THE FLYING WORDS by MORRIS GILBERT BISHOP

First Line: NOW THROUGH THE SKIES DO COME IMPETUOUS MESSENGERS
Last Line: IN THE STARING TERRIBLE HOURS WHEN SLEEP IS SLOW.
Subject(s): LANGUAGE; WORDS; VOCABULARY;
Now through the skies do come impetuous messengers
Their earnest loud ape-wisdom busily bearing,
And now mechanical lips are the mocking trumpeters
Of voices over the long hills and the seas faring.

And words no longer run upon wires, but the air is full
Of whispering, and of leaping unlovely voices
The hired lightning with old wives' tales is voluble
And the Ingenious Babe in man rejoices.

So now in the midnight I clutch at my hot heart in fear
Lest in the airy tangle should my words go
Eagerly flying out of my lips to a too heedful ear,
In the staring terrible hours when sleep is slow.



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