Small Song

Portrait of A.R. Ammons
A.R. Ammons 1926–2001

The reeds give way to the

wind and give the wind away

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John Sitter59 words
  1. John Sitter United States

    Line breaks and spacing are crucial to this poem. Several online sources ruin these by printing the poem as two lines: "The reeds give way to the wind / And give the wind away."
    What Ammons wrote builds in suspense, a small wind, and a fine surprise:

    The reeds give
    way to the

    wind and give
    the wind away.

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