Riddle+One

Daily //higher the ivy// dies, Leaf by leaf //subsiding white// Like a secret that //seems to rise// Through vein and vine //up to his eyes// And the //green of what remains//. In spite of books and //better light//, //In spite of air// and what friends say, A //rare// arrested day, brief shoots, In spite of all he //cuts away//: From the //ground up to the shelf//, From the //leaves into the roots//, In spite of everything //he tries//, Utterly the //ivy// tells itself.