'Roads to good intentions'

 

“Well, I had this little notion - I started writing when I was eleven, writing poetry.   I was passionately addicted to it; it was my great refuge through adolescence.” – Harry Mathews

 

Born in New York City on Valentine’s Day, 1930 Mathews was the author of many volumes of poetry and several novels.   He also worked as a translator of French language writings and was the first American chosen for membership in the prestigious French literary society Oulipo.  He wrote right up until his death in 2017, and among his best-known poetic works were Armenian Papers: Poems 1954-1984 and The New Tourism.  For Saturday’s Poem, here is Mathews’,

 

                                        Shore Leave

All roads lead to good intentions;

East is east and west is west and God disposes;

Time and tide in a storm.

All roads, sailor’s delight.

(Many are called, sailors take warning:

All roads wait for no man.)

 

All roads are soon parted.

East is east and west is west: twice shy.

Time and tide bury their dead.

A rolling stone, sailors delight.

“Any Port” – sailor take warning:

All roads are another man’s poison.

 

All roads take the hindmost,

East is east and west is west and few are

                                                chosen,

Time and tide are soon parted,

The Devil takes sailor’s delight.

Once burned, sailors take warning:

All roads bury their dead.