Limbo Culture

The tribes of Limbo, travelers report,
On first encounter seem to live as we do;
They keep their houses practically clean,
Their watches round about a standard time,
They serve you almost appetizing meals:
But no one says he saw a Limbo child.

The language spoken by the tribes of Limbo
Has many words far subtler than our own
To indicate how much, how little, something
Is pretty-closely or not-quite the case,
But none you could translate by Yes or No,
Nor do its pronouns distinguish between persons.

In tales related by the tribes of Limbo
Dragon and Knight set to with fang and sword
But miss their targets always by a hairsbreadth,
Crone and Young Simon pass a crucial point,
She early by a second and he late,
A magic purse forgets the legal tender.

“And so,” runs their concluding formula,
“Prince and Princess are nearly married still.”
Why this concern, so marked in Limbo culture,
For inexactness? Are we to conclude
“To live in Limbo” means “to love myself,”
Which, as we know, cannot be done exactly?