A New Poet
Linda Pastan
Finding a new poet
is like finding a new wildflower
out in the woods. You don't see
is like finding a new wildflower
out in the woods. You don't see
its name in the flower books, and
nobody you tell believes
in its odd color or the way
nobody you tell believes
in its odd color or the way
its leaves grow in splayed rows
down the whole length of the page. In fact
the very page smells of spilled
down the whole length of the page. In fact
the very page smells of spilled
red wine and the mustiness of the sea
on a foggy day - the odor of truth
and of lying.
on a foggy day - the odor of truth
and of lying.
And the words are so familiar,
so strangely new, words
you almost wrote yourself, if only
so strangely new, words
you almost wrote yourself, if only
in your dreams there had been a pencil
or a pen or even a paintbrush,
if only there had been a flower.
or a pen or even a paintbrush,
if only there had been a flower.
from Heroes In Disguise, 1991
W.W. Norton & Company, Inc., New York, NY
W.W. Norton & Company, Inc., New York, NY
Copyright 1991 by Linda Pastan.
All rights reserved.
Reproduced with permission
All rights reserved.
Reproduced with permission
*You seem as someone who would write a poem about finding a new poet!
3 comments:
This is beautiful and I love it (though, in the interest of full disclosure, I should point out that I don't write).
Really, really lovely. And I'll be frank-- there's glorious poetry out there, and then there's also... well. You know. Very bad stuff. So finding a GOOD new poet (or lyricist) is startling and SO EXCITING!
(PS-- try Ben Sollee for lovely new songwriting. Also, Kelly Ruth is charming.)
I really like Linda Paston. I had sort of forgotten about her, actually.
I've discovered that I miss living in my mother's house - because I miss the books and books of poetry. Online poetry sources are convenient, yes, but poetry is tactile and books are important to the experience.
Absolutely agree about the tactile nature.
Meanwhile, come back and write more about today's post. I'm honestly not sure I get it.
Post a Comment