BACK TO THE MOTHER BREAST

Back to the mother breast
In another place--
Not for milk, not for rest,
But the embrace
Clean bone
Can give alone.

The cushioning years
Afraid of closer kiss
Put cure of tears
Before analysis;
And the vague infant cheek
Turned away to speak.

Now back to the mother breast,
The later lullaby exploring,
The deep bequest
And franker singing
Out of the part
Where there is no heart.

from The Poems of Laura Riding (New York: Persea Books, 2001)