Ancient Refrain

A wilderness of dangers and delights,
some dangers, delightful, some delights so
dangerous we would do well to shun then,
but who can tell which is which,  what’s what?

that’s the rub, that telling is difficult,
obscure, probably beyond our powers,
how to discriminate between this, that
with enough precision to suit purpose.

I’m leaving it there for a walk in woods
where the complexity of what I see
challenges me to look into my sight,
(wild blue phlox, yellow swamp iris, ducks)

each one our own preserve, each our own game,
the slayer and the slain, ancient refrain