[I rose from marsh mud]

I rose from marsh mud,
algae, equisetum, willows,
sweet green, noisy
birds and frogs

to see her wed in the rich
rich silence of the church,
the little white slave-girl
in her diamond fronds.

In aisle and arch
the satin secret collects.
United for life to serve
silver. Possessed.

Copyright Credit: Lorine Niedecker, “[I rose from the marsh mud]” from Collected Works. Copyright © 2004 by Lorine Niedecker. Reprinted by permission of University of California Press.
Source: Collected Works (University of California Press, 2002)