Adrienne Rich — The University Reopens As the Floods Recede

Should blue air in its purity let you disdain the stink of artificial pine the gaunt architecture of cheap political solutions if there are philosophies to argue the moment when you would or wouldn’t spring to shield a friend’s body or jump into scummed waters after a stranger caught submerging or walk off to your parked car your sandwich your possible orange or theories rage of dance about this if in the event any can be sure who did or did not act on principle or impulse and what’s most virtuous can we not be nodding smiling taking down notes like this and of all places in a place like this I’ll work with you on this bad matter. I can but won’t give you the time of day if you think it’s hypothetical