Clothes, Chapter X (Khalil Gibran)

I had not heard of this poet before, but he is, apparently, "the third most widely read poet, behind Shakespeare and Lao-Tzu, in history". I clicked on this poem at random - no real reason. Guess I liked the idea that there have to be nine other verses concerning clothing out there.

Don't know if the poem was originally in another language and then translated or not. The language is pretty straight-forward. The lines themselves don't hold to any form. And there are not even stanzas. I can't tell if the single spacing is intentional and original or simply the site's default. Either way, the poem doesn't look pretty. There is no spice to these words, these lines. They all end the same way - with a period. For that reason there is no lilt to the thing. Flat, flat, flat. The last line has some music to it, at the very least.

I guess it's nice in a broad, cultural way. It's good in that same sense too. I wish it were more pulled together - with more intentional line breaks and stanzas. Personal preference, is all.

Well, Khalil might be beloved and read by millions all over the world, but, at least with this poem, he does not impress me much.

Favorite line: "the earth delights to feel your bare feet and the winds long to play with your hair."