This continues a series of columns that feature a much-loved poem and a poems that speak to, or resonate with, that poem. This week’s poem is “Oatmeal,” written by Galway Kinnell in the late 1980s. The two poems that resonate with Galway’s are “Dinky” by Theodore Roethke and “Jabberwocky” by Lewis Carroll. Kinnell was Poet […]
Kevin’s Much-Loved Poems: “Oatmeal,” “Dinky,” and “Jabberwocky” Read More »
Poetry is far from becoming a cultural artifact regardless of the Information Age’s dry mechanical demands. The discipline serves too many vital functions to be avoided or overlooked for any extended period of time. In fact, everyone should write a poem, and soon. Following are ten reasons why. When you write a poem, you participate
Ten Reasons to Write a Poem Read More »
You could learn a lesson from clouds— so willing to travel with the wind. You could learn a lesson from highways threading through the West like questions asking themselves endlessly. You could follow one road those nights when the moon brightens the sky, rising above the tilt of the earth, shining the sun’s light onto
I wake up angry with Raymond Carver(whom I love, who is long dead and cannot suffer my anger,cannot even pour me gin or offer cigarettes),for bestowing literary domain on Tess Gallagher.Tess had nothing to do with it.She showed up late to his curly, black hair and meticulous prose. It was Maryann, who traded her sixteen
I Wake Up Angry with Raymond Carver: For Maryann Burk Carver Read More »
When the summer breeze blows warm across my face, I will come to you through the slanting light and watch you paint the picture you said you always would. We’ll capture the moment in a silent instant and hold it for as long as memory serves, untouched by heartbreak, with nothing left to hide, in
The carnival is sick freedom, something less, passing through town, barking forbidden desires, promising an untranslatable ticket to the show. Our parents encouraged this. They wanted us to rub up against something different, strange and welcome, but only for an instant, in the blink of an eye. “Love but don’t touch,” they said, “and don’t admit