From Wislawa Szymborska‘s Nobel Prize in Literature Lecture, December 7, 1996: I value that little phrase “I don’t know” highly. It’s small, but it flies on mighty wings. It expands our lives to include the spaces within us as well as those outer expanses in which our tiny Earth hangs suspended. If Isaac Newton had…
Awhile back, David Brooks wrote a New York Times column about metaphor in everyday life. (He called it “Poetry for Everyday Life.”) Here’s the link: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/12/opinion/12brooks.html?_r=1 My favorite line could be this one: Even the hardest of the sciences depend on a foundation of metaphors. To be aware of metaphors is to be humbled by…
I wrote this poem ten years ago, and just recently rediscovered it. It’s a poem about beauty (and my Great Aunt Thelma). I visited her in Wisconsin and was enraptured for the entire visit. It was the only time I spent with her as an adult, and it was also the last. Shortly after that…
I heard some amazing poetry on public radio last week. Terry Gross interviewed Kathleen Sheeder Bonanno, a poet whose daughter was murdered by her ex-boyfriend. After her daughter’s death, Kathleen wrote a collection of beautiful, poignant poems, recently published as Slamming the Door Open. One reviewer called her poems “spare, unflinching, and powerful.” I couldn’t…
The poem below by Cheryl Savageau can be found in her book Dirt Road Home. In addition to her amazing poetry, I love the cover design. So often, books of poetry just don’t have the cool design they deserve. The poem is dedicated to her brother, Ed Savageau. It’s a bit harsh on teachers. Maybe…
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