Why Study Literature. Seriously

Out of quarrels with others we
make rhetoric; out of quarrels 
with our self: poetry.  (Yeats)  

“Why should we study literature?” asks
a student in mid class.   Like asking
Dr. K: “well, what exactly do you
 mean by “environment?.”    
 
Monkey wrench..
.
(Guy walks into the Rolls Royce
showroom kicks the tires  and asks:
“How much does one  of these babies
cost, anyway?"   “My  dear man, “ says
the salesperson: “If you have to ask
you can’t afford it.” )
 
Sail along ladies.

Or stop, look, listen and loop de loop
round the drain: questioning  underlying
assumptions & authorities.
 
Move on down the road
or circle the wagons,
cultivate local food.

Choose.

Toward  frontiers yet unknown
or wonder: why explore?
 
Where I’m calling from tunneling
to China. First things first. Then
wonder about Hester. Prynne.
 
Between HAP & Ways we Talk about Hap 
Between the idea & the reality
Between the motion & the act
Falls the Shadow

Between the conception &  the creation
Between the emotion & the response
Falls the Shadow

Between the desire &  the spasm
Between the potency & the existence
Between the essence & the descent
Falls the Shadow
 
Talking-About counts, not What.
You disagree? Of course. A perfect
day for hollow men.