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Man's Feet Are a Sensational Device

Marianne Moore

Rest assured that netting butterflies,
     Flying from mice,
          And crushing spiders,
               Is portentous cowardice.
The field of moral choice affords man’s
     Feet crackling ice
          To tread, and feet are
               A sensational device.

Marianne Moore was an American poet and essayist who received the Pulitzer Prize, the National Book Award, and the National Medal for Literature.
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October 2003 Marianne Moore
Originally published:
October 1, 2003

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