Diane (the itty bitty person passing through the metal detector) on her way to Minnesota.
Today’s visit with Flo.
The photo, if Diane were here, she wouldn’t let me post .
Selecting A Reader
First, I would have her be beautiful,
and walking carefully up on my poetry
at the loneliest moment of an afternoon,
her hair still damp at the neck
from washing it. She should be wearing
a raincoat, an old one, dirty
from not having money enough for the cleaners.
She will take out her glasses, and there
in the bookstore, she will thumb
over my poems, then put the book back
up on its shelf. She will say to herself,
“For that kind of money, I can get
my raincoat cleaned.” And she will.
Ted Kooser
chris
Funny! Great poem.
adam
Such a Michael selection, so self-deprecating and wryly funny. And yet not, in its self-consciously lighthearted folly. In a Poet Laureate, though, is it still humility, or something else? I guess it kind of depends on when he wrote it …
If he strikes a chord in our blogmeister, it may be the only things Dubya’s done well, both to appoint and to re-appoint Mr. Kooser.
Love the pictures, too!
chris
Give him no credit you can bet he’s never read a poem in his life. No doubt it was Mrs. Dubya picked him. I didn’t realize it wasn’t Louise Gluck anymore. She of great depressing poetry. This is much better.
chris
My curiousity got the best of me and based on this description, Michael should clearly be our next poet laureate.
‘What is a Poet Laureate?
Poets Laureate, appointed by the Librarian of Congress, are entrusted with raising the status of poetry in the everyday conscience of the American public.’