Should, Should Not

A man should not love the moon.
An ax should not lose weight in his hand.
His garden should smell of rotting apples
And grow a fair amount of nettles.
Aman when he talks should not us words that are dear to him,
Or split open a seed to find out what is inside it.
He should not drop a crumb of bread, or spit in the fire
(So at least I was taught in Lithuania).
When he climbs marble steps
He may, that boor, try to chip them with with his boot
As a reminder that the steps will not last forever.

C. Milosz