America's first female Poet Laureate, Mona Van Duyn died yesterday. She was a St. Louisan and as such her death is front page news around here. After reading some of her poetry this morning including these few words, "Hating is hard work"...I have to admit my first thought was, "Reading poetry is hard work." I have always felt it an intellectual failing on my part to have never cared for verse whether finely crafted or humorously spare. I doubt I am alone. But as John Donne once wrote, "Do not ask for whom the bell tolls, it tolls for thee." Her death is a loss for St. Louis and for poetry, even if you, like me, don't ever take the time to get through all the words. Here is a sample.
Sonnet For Minimalists
From a new peony, Then a volunteer The world’s perverse,
my last anthem,
a squirrel in glee
broke the budded stem.
I thought, where is joy
without fresh bloom,
that old heart’s ploy
to mask the tomb?
stalk from sour
bird-drop this year
burst in frantic flower.
but it could be worse.
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