The first and only poet laureate to serve three terms, beginning in 1997 and continuing through the spring of 2000.
Robert Pinsky
“The test of whether it's poetry is: does it sound beautiful when you say the words over, in your mind or your voice, with no skilled performer, no music, just the sounds and meanings in the words themselves.”
He created the Favorite Poem Project 1997 and it is dedicated to celebrating, documenting and encouraging poetry’s role in Americans’ lives.
During the one-year open call for submissions, 18,000 Americans wrote to the project volunteering to share their favorite poems — Americans from ages 5 to 97, from every state, of diverse occupations, kinds of education and backgrounds. From those thousands of letters and emails, we've culled several enduring collections:
This popular, award-winning website, features an interactive gallery for viewing the Favorite Poem videos and is a growing resource for teachers and communities.
Here is an example of his poetry:
Samurai Song
When I had no roof I made
Audacity my roof. When I had
No supper my eyes dined.
When I had no eyes I listened.
When I had no ears I thought.
When I had no thought I waited.
When I had no father I made
Care my father. When I had
No mother I embraced order.
When I had no friend I made
Quiet my friend. When I had no
Enemy I opposed my body.
When I had no temple I made
My voice my temple. I have
No priest, my tongue is my choir.
When I have no means fortune
Is my means. When I have
Nothing, death will be my fortune.
Need is my tactic, detachment
Is my strategy. When I had
No lover I courted my sleep.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
Robert Pinskey:
- Online resources for Robert Pinsky.
- From the Catbird Seat: Poetry and literature at the Library of Congress.
- List of Poets Laureate.
Illustration: rodolfocarvalh, DeviantArt.
No comments:
Post a Comment