Thursday, March 17, 2011

Moved by a poet

I just got Li-Young
Lee's newest poetry book
from the library. It sold
out at the IAM conference.
It would have been wonderful
to have it signed. I did that
with another book.

This morning I found a CD
at the back.
Li-Young reading all the poems.

I cried when I heard his reading.
Something moved me deeply.
Tears.

Maybe it was his voice.
I know it was the words.
Serene.

Here is a line that reminds me
of Ann Voskamp's One Thousand
Gifts from his poem: My Favorite
Kingdom.

My favorite door opens two ways:
receiving and receiving. My heart

swings between the ways, from thanksgiving
to thanksgiving, a thousand times a day,

Can you think of a poem or poet
who moves you to tears?

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Li-Young Lee is one of my favorite poets.

He speaks of family in his poetry in ways that loose deep awarenesses of one's own need for reconciliation with memories ... with moments that have marked us forever.

To hear the poet read his/her own words is extraordinary. The voice of the poet speaking the purest love to the poem and to us.

Thank you.

Laure