I held out, and in holding, held in

i held a beautiful thing
in my ugly hands
and it did not make me beautiful

because the beatiful thing
that i held in my hands
was love of beauty not love of love

i held out my hand
in my ugly beauty
and it did not make me love

because holding out my hand
ugly beauty was
love itself of itself dutiful

i held out itself
beauty itself ugly
and it did then make me see

that life on the out
is life all without
and then life then itself pitiful