Summum Bonum, and: The Conformist

36 THE MINNESOTA REVIEW HAROLD WITT from OVER FIFTY SUMMUM BONUM A girl's kiss summum, Browning said, meaning of course more than only a kissnice Victorians never went to bed naked togedier in a poem like diis. Elizabeth Barrett wore her high necked dress counting the ways she loved him but omitting ever to mention his endearing peniswriting the actual thing was too upsetting. Nevertheless, in spite of modesities, there they must have been at Casa Guidi unbuttoning, taking it all off-yes screwing and screwing whUe doing some heavy breathing as has been done in every day and age whatever words were put down on the page. THE CONFORMIST can only live on land if that's where others crawl but if they gulp beneath it too will grow a gill. If they wing treeward, it, widi twine and bits of twigs, will have a nest to build and strain to squeeze out eggs. WITT 37 It tries impossiblesround holes with square pegs— and whittles at itself untU it fits or breaks. It likes to be in line, mindless, keeps its cool, marching toward the edge of things, a suicidal fool, though if the herd should turn, zipping off their wool, it bares its fang among the pack and also is a wolf. ...