rust in the bones

RUST IN THE BONES

He who hears the overtones
of wisdom will encounter disbelief,
and the fractures in his bone
will never heal, and cause incessant grief.

The bone of such a man will rust,
once he’s been drenched by wisdom as by rain,
and he mourn the way he lost the trust
in the divine, preferring the profane.

Augustine said: "He who puts on wisdom puts on grief, and a heart that understands cuts like rust in the bones."

This poem is a revision of “Overtones of Wisdom,” written in 1999.

11/17/99