The cold slope is standing in darkness <br />But the south of the trees is dry to the touch <br /> <br />The heavy limbs climb into the moonlight bearing feathers <br />I came to watch these <br />White plants older at night <br />The oldest <br />Come first to the ruins <br /> <br />And I hear magpies kept awake by the moon <br />The water flows through its <br />Own fingers without end <br /> <br />Tonight once more <br />I find a single prayer and it is not for men<br /><br />William Stanley Merwin<br /><br />http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/december-night/
