“News,” a poem by Grace Paley

“News”

by

Grace Paley


although we would prefer to talk
and talk it into psychological the-
ory the prevalence of small genocides
or the recent disease floating
toward us from another continent we
must not     while she speaks her eyes
frighten us     she is only one person
she tells us the terrible news     we
want to leave the room we may not
we must listen     in this wrong world this
is what     we must do     we must bear it

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