Quarrel

In the angry silence
table and chair
kept domestic balance
with an everyday air

stayed close together
like two with their sorrow
but the sharp indictment
sped like an arrow.

Nobody screamed
but agony was there
in the fist on the table
in the grip on the chair

and the air was full of pain
more than heart could bear
that pushed aside the table a
nd overturned the chair.

    Original Citation

    American Prefaces 6 (Autumn 1940) 43.

    Word Count
    69
    Original Publication
    Date Published
    1940
    Book Appearance
    Complete Poems
    40
    Re-publication
    America 27 (Nov. 1965) 671.
    Theme(s)
    First Line
    In the angry silence
    Poetic Form
    open
    Twitter Quote
    Nobody screamed / but agony was there