In secret place where once I stood
Close by the Banks of Lacrim flood,
I heard two sisters reason on
Things that are past and things to come.
One Flesh was call'd, who had her eye
On worldly wealth and vanity;
The other Spirit, who did rear
Her thoughts unto a higher sphere.
"Sister," quoth Flesh, "what liv'st thou on
Nothing but Meditation?
Doth Contemplation feed thee so
It is interesting that Bradstreet would be considered one of America’s first celebrated poets, because it seems that her conflicting viewpoints (particularly here in “The Flesh and The Spirit”),with the didactic relationship between material gain and spiritual enlightenment fit quite seamlessly into the dichotomy of contemporary American ideals.  Contemporary America, one might argue, has a vast divide between the “über-religious,” and the “pop culture-consumer.” It remains a country of “extremes,” and it appears that Bradstreet’s proposed conflict is still raging, though I am unaware of any current poet, as celebrated, addressing the topic. 
 
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Flesh and the Spirit The