Classic Poem

While I am waiting for the flower why should I doubt the seed?
While I am waiting for you to love me why should I doubt your love?
While I am waiting for the ship to come in why should I doubt the ship?
While I am waiting for the total why should I doubt the pieces?
While I am waiting for tomorrow why should I doubt today?
While I am waiting for the sun why should I doubt the eclipse?
While I am waiting to be happy why should I doubt my grief?
While I am waiting for the end why should I doubt the chapters?
The flower is only complete in sterility and the flower,
Love is only complete in love and the denial of love,
The ship is only complete in the wreck and the safety of the ship,
The globe is only complete in the globe and the emptying of space,
Time is only complete in time and the absence of time,
The sun is only complete in the sun and the darkness without the sun,
Happiness is only complete in happiness and the sorrow that happiness encloses,
The tale is only complete in the printed page and the lines unwritten.

I wait for my soul but I do not cavil over my soul,
I go on forever voyaging satisfied with the terms of the voyage,
The skies are my fastsworn allies and I trust in the pledge of the clouds,
The soil is my quickstrong companion husbanding the seed that I drop.
If I denied the world in its wrong how could I accept the world in its right?
If I dodged the blow of my lover how could I melt to the caress?
If I knew the deep sea for cruel how could I know it for kind?
I mole in the earthiest darkness without extinguishing the day,
I fly to the outermost sunfires without taking leave of the night.
How could I work for my fellows if the stars were not working for me?
I but take the hand reached from the darkness and pass its palm on to the next.
I who can believe in the house I live in do not doubt he house of houses,
I who can believe in the flesh of your eager right hand do not doubt the hands touching me from the unseen,
I who can believe words I hear cannot deny the words I do not hear,
I who surrender to voices cannot remain deaf to the voice,
I who can see you with eyes can see you when eyes cannot see,
The cup is fullest when drained if you drink from the cup while you love.

I can wait
The world has waited long for me, I can wait for the world,
Justice has waited long for me, I can wait for justice,
Love has waited long for me, O such love's love of passion, and I can wait long for love, O such love's love of passion!
I can wait, O beautiful assurance — I can wait,
Wait while things go wrong until they go right,
Wait while death seeds life until life seeds death,
Wait while men weep until men laugh,
I can wait, I can wait, I can wait,
And while waiting can love.