I just stumbled upon this list today, and don't at all remember the route
that took me there, but I hope I'm not being too outta line jumping right in
after seeing only a dozen or so messages.
Looks like a great place here.
There are *so* many poems that are important to me, and that strike a
visceral chord. But I'll go back to one of my earliest inspirations, Stephen
Crane (1871-1900).
As with all his poems, I believe, this one is untitled:
In the desert
I saw a creature, naked, bestial,
Who, squatting upon the ground,
Held his heart in his hands,
And ate of it.
I said: "Is it good, friend?"
"It is bitter -- bitter," he answered;
"But I like it
Because it is bitter,
And because it is my heart."
That perfect little poem has stuck with me for three decades. I am struck by
its simplicity, its straightforwardness, the naturalness of its language.
Although there is little description, and only of the most general kind, I
can picture this heart-eater vividly, and his enigmatic reply triggers that
faint glimmer of hope that resonates for me in any existential text.
Crane is most known for his antiwar novel The Red Badge Of Courage, and for a
handful of near-classic short stories, but for me he was a poet half a
century before his time. I've never stopped reading him and learning from
him.
Stuart Ross
Toronto, Canada
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