Wednesday, July 1, 2009

The United States Poet Laureate. Really?

Our Newsweek came on Monday. I generally consider that the Captain's "library" reading material. Get my drift? This issue pretty much sucked me in though, it's title being "What to Read Now". Had some really interesting articles in it, but the one that got me was a piece on Kay Ryan. Had never heard of Kay Ryan. Did you know the United States has a Poet Laureate? I KNOW. Me neither. Turns out, Kay Ryan is our Poet Laureate. I haven't read any poems she'd written, but having been exposed, I am going to have find some more.

Tenderness and Rot

Tenderness and rot
share a border,
And rot is an agressive neighbor
whose iridescence
keeps creeping over.

No lessons
can be drawn
from this however.

One is not
two countries.
One is not meat
corrupting.

It is important
to stay sweet
and loving.

Hmm, of course it is. Here's another,

There are high places
that don't invite us
sharp shapes, glacier-
scraped faces, whole
ranges whose given names
slip off. Any such relation
as we try to make
refuses to take. Some
high lakes are not for us,
some slick escarpments.
I'm giddy with thinking
where thinking can't stick.
- "No Names"

Wow, there's a world of thought (even though it might slip off) and truth in those 12 lines. Just wanted to share.

4 comments:

ThatsBaloney said...

Hey - I knew there was one! Couldn't have told you her name though...

Amy A. said...

Don't you remember Maya Angelou? (Not sure I spelled that right!) I think she was probably the most famous poet laure... Oh, I just can't spell today!

Loved that first one especially.

And yes... Black bean burgers are de-lish!

@nnie said...

I just wonder how you get to BE the poet laureate. I'd like to sign up and think you should too. really cool poems, that poet Laureate wrote. Thanks for posting.

Pat said...

I believe she composed and recited a poem for Pres Obama's inauguration. NOT REALLY!

Who keeps up with the latest on poet laureates.

Just goes to show you how small is our perception of own country at times.