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| Minnesota poet Todd Boss and his book YELLOWROCKET |
BRRRRRRR - it is cold in Seattle right now. Maybe a cold snap? Well not really, but I love the phrase "cold snap," so let's pretend. In honor of the dip into freezing temperatures, here's my contribution to Poetry Friday - Todd Boss's poem Icicles (from his collection YELLOWROCKET - see also the masterful poem One Can Miss Mountains, over at The New Yorker's web site.) I'd love to get the poetry of Todd Boss into the hands of every Senior in every high school English class in America, if only to remind them - as they head out into the world - that poetry can be fun, inventive, imaginative, crazy, musical and still be deeply heartfelt and smart.
ICICLES
are made of melt.
The same course
that makes them
takes them away.
They stay as long
as the temperature
lets them, and go
by the same way,
and in the same
direction. On
that intersection
their existence
hangs -- as hangs
a heart by how
and for how long
what's felt is felt.
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| Boss's new book, PITCH, will be released in February, 2012. |
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The Poetry Friday round-up today is being hosted by Robyn Black Hood at Read, Write, Howl. Head over there to see what other people have posted.
I like this poem very much.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Julie, for this introduction to the poet.
LOVE this poem. Thanks so much for introducing me to Todd's work! Will have to get Yellowrocket. :)
ReplyDeleteI imagine the high school students would make much of this, spare words but full of longing. I got the same feeling from the other poem, a yearning. Thanks for sharing these-beautiful.
ReplyDeleteJulie,
ReplyDeleteGreat poem selection. I find it interesting--and often amazing--what poets see in the commonplace...things that other people pay no attention to--and how poets relate those simple things to more important issues in our lives.
The clever simplicity of this poem makes it so much fun to read over and over. Thank you for sharing this (new to me) poet!
ReplyDeletewow I love that! What an insightful perspective. Beautiful description of one of my favorite kinds of ice!
ReplyDeleteEchoing thanks for sharing this poet and these poems! They are sparse and playful yet carry such insight.
ReplyDeleteBoth poems are a treat to read for Boss's treatment of line breaks.
ReplyDeleteThese lines:
ReplyDeleteICICLES
are made of melt
and
...One
loses wonder
among stores
of things.
These lines will stick with me. I'm thinking I have to find his books. You've got me hooked!
Thanks for sharing this! I really like it.
ReplyDelete