by May Sarton
1
Have you not wounded yourself
And battered those you love
By sudden motions of evil,
Black rage in the blood
When the soul, premier danseur,
Springs toward a murderous fall?
The furies possess you.
2
Have you not surprised yourself
Sometimes by sudden motions
Or intimations of goodness,
When the soul, premier danseur,
Perfectly poised,
Could shower blessings
With a graceful turn of the head?
The angels are there.
Parker Palmer speaks of life’s paradox and the difficulties faced by many people in holding that tension everyday, he states that to avoid fragmentation we need, “the capacity to hold tensions creatively is the key to much that matters.” He describes the tension as arising from our need for either/or solutions that prevents us from finding a more peaceful way. The paradox faced by all is described well by May Sarton in the Angels and the Furies.
