Origin of the Speechless

Inconstant and strong
Unsettled and wandering
Impossible to control

Irresolute, fickle
Willful and restless
Wavering in purpose

Whimsical, capricious
A curious mimic
Never exhausted

A good deal of thoughtless
Swinging through the trees
Followed by

An even longer era of
Somewhat ruefully
Thinking It Over













Tropical Forest with Monkeys (details): Henri Rousseau, 1910 (National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.)