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The bud
stands for all things,
even for those things that don’t flower,
for everything flowers, from within, of selfblessing;
though sometimes it is necessary     5
to reteach a thing its loveliness,
to put a hand on its brow
of the flower
and retell it in words and in touch
it is lovely     10
until it flowers again from within, of self-blessing;
as Saint Francis
put his hand on the creased forehead
of the sow, and told her in words and in touch
blessings of earth on the sow, and the sow     15
began remembering all down her thick length,
from the earthen snout all the way
through...

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1. Saint Francis and the Sow: Introduction
2. Saint Francis and the Sow: Text of the Poem
3. Saint Francis and the Sow: Summary
4. Saint Francis and the Sow: Galway Kinnell Biography
5. Saint Francis and the Sow: Themes
6. Saint Francis and the Sow: Style
7. Saint Francis and the Sow: Historical Context
8. Saint Francis and the Sow: Critical Overview
9. Saint Francis and the Sow: Essays and Criticism
10. Saint Francis and the Sow: Compare and Contrast
11. Saint Francis and the Sow: Topics for Further Study
12. Saint Francis and the Sow: Media Adaptations
13. Saint Francis and the Sow: What Do I Read Next?
14. Saint Francis and the Sow: Bibliography and Further Reading
15. Saint Francis and the Sow: Pictures
16. Copyright