BET
[Charles Olson wrote this poem in memorium of his second wife, Elizabeth
Olson, who was tragically killed in a car accident on March 31, 1964.]
It was herself which was my joy, she was
spirit before I had any, she was my nature until
I opened the book of nature and was denied the
heaven of the intellect having had the other three.
And my soul said
you can't go there
To this I owe my life and I pay here my memory of her
who was Elizabeth and I called Bet.