Canthara

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Canthara by William Carlos Williams

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from Al Que Quiere! (1917)

The old black-man showed me
how he had been shocked
in his youth
by six women, dancing
a set-dance, stark naked below
the skirts raised round
their breasts:
               bellies flung forward
knees flying!
                     —while
his gestures, against the
tiled wall of the dingy bath-room,
swished with ecstasy to
the familiar music of
                    his old emotion.

Notes and references

• taken from A Book of Poems: Al Que Quiere!

This work is in the public domain in the United States because it was published before January 1, 1923. It may be copyrighted outside the U.S. (see Help:Public domain).