A house of good stone
cut fair and square,
Justice the governor –
spotless, abstract,
a goddess held in common
by all people. And all
particulars too, by virtue
of being, acknowledge
her true sway. As economy
is house law, it follows
that builders should dispose
with precision – that is,
lapidary justice.
It is a scene in fresco –
equable rule
there, figured
by impartial light
and clear space. But if
the contrasted masses
move, clash, if the ground quake
and dislodge stone,
if storm
set person against
person or against thing,
what syntax in confusion
can piece together
the logic of her dark will?