HILDE

Just the other side of that pillar,
Where you can't see him, God
Has settled himself comfortably.
He is telling a story about Raven
To the servant girl Hilde. Raven
And Hilde are both tricksters;
If they ever meet they might create
A much cleverer breed of men
With a few glossy black feathers
Placed discretely around their bodies
But God is not certain such men
Would be an improvement over those
Who presently mismanage the world.
While He thinks it over, Hilde
Waits in a picture by Saanredam
Of the great church in Haarlem.
When God grows weary of us
He sits in its clear-lighted aisles
Chatting with Hilde or another
Of those the crook-backed painter
Keeps stored for Him there.