the incident concerning the papers of Mr. ------

boxes sopped

and hand by hand

lifted out

writings of a self-interested man

there had been a flood

from an ice dam, library annex

library annex, span by span

shelves of paper dry as sand

so swiftly water-puffed writings

of a self-interested dam

strange ink-run runes ice-melt made

man hand by hand

fingers lift not liking their feel

there will be no more saving this

let the cursive scripts run

let the paper have its clotted way

it's twisted way

let the bind and spine splay

let the leather smell it's mournful smell