Griffy the Cooper
The cooper should know about tubs.
But I learned about life as well,
And you who loiter around these graves
Think you know life.
You think your eye sweeps about a wide horizon
,…… perhaps,
In truth you are only looking around the interior
……. of your tub.
You cannot lift yourself to its rim
And see the outer world of things,
And at the same time see yourself.
You are submerged in the tub of yourself —
Taboos and rules and appearances,
And the staves of your tub.
Break them and dispel the witchcraft
Of thinking your tub is life!
And that you know life!
by Edgar Lee Masters
from Spoon River Anthology
Collier Books, 1962