The bud br stands for all things, br even those things that don't flower, br for everything flowers, from within, of self-blessing; br though sometimes it is necessary br to reteach a thing its loveliness, br to put a hand on its brow br of the flower br and retell it in words and in touch br it is lovely br until it flowers again from within, of self-blessing; br as St. Francis br put his hand on the creased forehead br of the sow, and told her in words and in touch br blessings of earth on the sow, and the sow br began remembering all down her thick length, br from the earthen snout all the way br through the fodder and slops to the spiritual curl of br the tail, br from the hard spininess spiked out from the spine br down through the great broken heart br to the blue milken dreaminess spurting and shuddering br from the fourteen teats into the fourteen mouths sucking br and blowing beneath them: br the long, perfect loveliness of sow.