Poem of the Day: Leonard Cohen Before the Songs

One of the intriguing things about Leonard Cohen, at least to me, is that he was a published poet and novelist before he became a singer (his music being, of course, what he is now best known for). The following poem, "The Gift" was from his second book of poems, The Spice Box of Earth (1961); it was reprinted in his 1993 collection Stranger Music: Selected Poems and Songs.

The Gift

You tell me that silence
is nearer to peace than poems
but if for my gift
I brought you silence
(for I know silence)
you would say
This is not silence
this is another poem
and you would hand it back to me.

-- Leonard Cohen