Stanley,
An adherent of Rosenblatt,
Who declared we must always
Return to the text,
I write you this apology.

Having read your text,
How to Write a Sentence,
And How to Read One,
I confess,
I've changed my mind.

Your point is made:
The tension we must feel
Is found in words
Arranged carefully
In ways meaningful,
In ways transcendent
Of the words themselves,
Or we should leave the books
We love to read upon the shelves.