A Pocket Anthology

Edited by

R. S. GwynnLamar University

April LindnerSaint Joseph's University

PENGUIN ACADEMICS

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Content**Alphabetical List of Authors xxii

Preface xxvii

INTRODUCTION BY WILLIAM PRITCHARD 1

HOWARD NEMEROV (MARCH 1, 1920-JULY 5,1991)

History of a Literary Movement 4The Fourth of July 5 <sA Primer of the Daily Round 6The Human Condition 7

AMY CLAMPITT QUNE 15, 1920-SEPTEMBER 10,1994)

The Kingfisher 8What the Light Was Like 9Nothing Stays Put 14

CHARLES BUKOWSKI (AUGUST 16, 1 9 2 0 - M A R C H 9,1994)

my father 15the great escape 16

RICHARD WILBUR (b. MARCH 1,1921)

The Pardon 18A Simile for H^r Smile 19Year's End 19Love Calls Us to the Things of This World 20Mind 21Advice to a Prophet 22The Writer 23Hamlen Brook 24For C. 25

viii • Contents

MONA VAN DUYN (MAY 9, 1921-DECEMBER 2,2004)

Letters from a Father 26

HAYDEN CARRUTH (b. AUGUST 3,1921)

Woodsmoke at 70 29Pittsburgh 30

FREDERICK MORGAN (APRIL 25, 1922-FEBRUARY 20,2004)

The Step 31The Burial 32

ANTHONY HECHT (JANUARY 16, 1923-OCTOBER 20,2004)

The Dover Bitch: A Criticism of Life 33A Hill 34"More Light! More Light!" 35Third Avenue in Sunlight 36The Book ofYolek 3 7

JAMES DICKEY (FEBRUARY 2, 1923-JANUARY 19,1997)

The Heaven of Animals 39Adultery 40The Sheep Child 41

ALAN DUGAN (FEBRUARY 12, 1923-SEPTEMBER 3,2003)

On a Seven-Day Diary 44Love Song: I and Thou 45Tribute to Kafka for Someone Taken 46Surviving the Hurricane 46

Louis SIMPSON (b. MARCH 27,1923)

To the Western World 47American Poetry 48My Father in the Night Commanding No 48American Classic 50Physical Universe 51

DANIEL HOFFMAN (b. APRIL 3,1923)

Rats 54Bob 55Violence 57

DENISE LEVERTOV (OCTOBER 24, 1923-DECEMBER 20,1999)

The Secret 58What Were They Like? 59Song for Ishtar 60

Contents

RICHARD HUGO (DECEMBER 2 1 , 1923-OCTOBER 22,1982)

Degrees of Gray in Philipsburg 61My Buddy 62Bay of Recovery 64

EDGAR BOWERS (MARCH 2, 1924-FEBRUARY 4,2000)

The Astronomers of Mont Blanc 65Mary 66A Fragment: the Cause 67

EDWARD FIELD (b. JUNE 7,1924)

The Bride of Frankenstein 68The Dog Sitters 70

JOHN HAINES (b. JUNE 29,1924)

Life in an Ashtray 71Rain Country 72

GERALD STERN (b. FEBRUARY 22,1925)

Behaving Like a Jew *77The Dancing 78The Sounds of Wagner 79

MAXINE KUMIN (b. JUNE 6,1925)

Morning Swim 80Woodchucks 81Noted in the New York Times 82Oblivion 83

DONALD JUSTICE (AUGUST 12, 1925-AUGUST 6,2004)

Counting the Mad 84But That Ls Another Story 85Men at Forty \86American.Sceries (1904-1905) 87

CAROLYN KIZER (b. DECEMBER 10,1925)

The Ungrateful Garden 89Bitch 90Pro Femina:Part Three 91

W. D. SNODGRASS (b. JANUARY 5,1926)

"After Experience Taught Me..." 93The Examination 94Mementos, 1 96

Contents

A. R. AMMONS (FEBRUARY 18, 1926-FEBRUARY 25,2001)

Cor sons Inlet 97First Carolina Said-Song 101The Foot-Washing 102

JAMES MERRILL (MARCH 3, 1926-FEBRUARY 6,1995)

Charles on Fire 103The Broken Home 104Casual Wear 107

ROBERT CREELEY (B. MAY 21,1926)

Naughty Boy 108I Know a Man 109Oh No 109The Language 109

ALLEN GINSBERG QUNE 3,1926-APRIL 5,1997)

America 111Howl.l 114A Supermarket in California 121

FRANK O'HARA (JUNE 27, 1926-JULY 25,1966)

Why I Am Not a Painter 122The Day Lady Died 123Poem 124

ROBERT BLY (b. DECEMBER 23,1926)

After Drinking All Night with a Friend, We Go Outin a Boat at Dawn to See Who Can Write theBest Poem 125

For My Son, Noah, Ten Years Old 126The Scandal 127

GALWAY KINNELL (b. FEBRUARY 1,1927)

After Making Love We Hear Footsteps 128Goodbye 129Saint Francis and the Sow 130

JOHN ASHBERY (b. JULY 28,1927)

Farm Implements and Rutabagas in a Landscape 131The Other Tradition 133Paradoxes and Oxymorons 134The Gods of Fairness 135This Room 135Toy Symphony 136

Contents

W. S. MERWIN (b. SEPTEMBER 30,1927)The Drunk in the Furnace 13 7For the Anniversary of My Death 138The Last One 139The Judgment of Paris 141

JAMES WRIGHT (DECEMBER 13, 1927-MARCH 25,1980)Saint Judas 144Autumn Begins in Martins Ferry, Ohio 145A Blessing 145Lying in a Hammock at William Duffy's Farm in Pine

Island, Minnesota 146Two Poems About President Harding 147

PHILIP LEVINE (b. JANUARY 10,1928)

Animals are Passing from Our Lives 149They Feed They Lion 150You Can Have It 151What Work Is 152 o

ANNE SEXTON (NOVEMBER 9, 1928-OCTOBER 4,1974)Unknown Girl in the Maternity Ward 154All My Pretty Ones 156In Celebration of My Uterus 157Cinderella 159

ADRIENNE RICH (b. MAY 16,1929)

Aunt Jennifer's Tigers 163Living in Sin 163Diving into the Wreck 164Rape 167An Atlas of the Difficult World: XIII (Dedications) 168Final Notations 169

X. J. KENNEDY (b. AUGUST 21,1929)

First Confession 170In a Prominent Bar in Secaucus One Day 171Little Elegy 172Cross Ties 173 ,September Twelfth, 2001 173

THOM GUNN (AUGUST 29, 1929-APRIL 25,2004)

In the Tank 174From the Wave 175Terminal 176

xii * Contents

GREGORY CORSO (MARCH 26, 1930-JANUARY 17,2001)

Marriage 177

MILLER WILLIAMS (b. APRIL 8,1930)

Let Me Tell You 181The Book 182The Curator 183Folding His USAToday He Makes His Point in the Blue

Star Cafe 185

GARY SNYDER (b. MAY 8,1930)

Hay for the Horses 186Riprap 187A Walk 188The Bath 189

RHINA P. ESPAILLAT (b. JANUARY 20,1932)

Visiting Day 192Bra 192Reservation 193

LINDA PASTAN (b. MAY 27,1932)

Ethics 194Crocuses 1951932- 195

SYLVIA PLATH (OCTOBER 27, 1932-FEBRUARY 11,1963)

The Colossus 196Daddy 197Edge 200Lady Lazarus 201The Moon and the Yew Tree 203Morning Song 204

GERALD BARRAX (b.JUNE 21,1933)

Strangers Like Us: Pittsburgh, Raleigh,1945-1985 205

Pittsburgh, 1948: The Music Teacher 206

MARK STRAND (b. APRIL 11,1934)

Eating Poetry 207Keeping Things Whole 208The Tunnel 209The Great Poet Returns 210

Contents • xiii

ROBERT MEZEY (b. FEBRUARY 28,1935)

Hardy 211My Mother 211

RUSSELL EDSON (b. APRIL 9,1935)

An Old Man in Love 213When the Ceiling Cries 213Ape 214

MARY OLIVER (b. SEPTEMBER 10,1935)

The Black Snake 215University Hospital, Boston 216The Buddha's Last Instruction 217

FRED CHAPPELL (b. MAY 28,1936)

My Grandmother Washes Her Feet 218Narcissus and Echo 222AveAtqueVale 223

LUCILLE CLIFTON (b.JuNE 27,1936)

homage to my hips 223wishes for sons 224lee 224

C. K.WILLIAMS (b. NOVEMBER 4,1936)

Hood 226Hooks 226Harm 227

SUSAN HOWE (b.JuNE 10,1937)

Closed Fist Withholding an Open Palm 228

ROBERT PHILLIPS (b. FEBRUARY 2,1938)

Running on Empty 230The Stone Crap: A Love Poem 231Compartments 232

MICHAEL S. HARPER (b. MARCH 18,1938)

Black Study 234Dear John, Dear Coltrane 235We Assume: On the Death of Our Son, Reuben Masai

Harper 237

CHARLES SIMIC (b. MAY 9,1938)

Fork 238Stone 2391 was stolen... 239

Contents

BETTY ADCOCK (b. SEPTEMBER 16,1938)

Digression on the Nuclear Age 240To a Young Feminist Who Wants to Be

Free 241Voyages 243

JARED CARTER (b. JANUARY 10,1939)

Drawing the Antique 245Interview 246The Purpose of Poetry 247

TED KOOSER (b. APRIL 25,1939)

Abandoned Farmhouse 248The Salesman 249Selecting a Reader 250

STEPHEN DUNN (b.JuNE 24,1939)

The Sacred 250A Secret Life 251The Sexual Revolution 252

TOM DISCH (b. FEBRUARY 2,1940)

The Rapist's Villanelle 253Zewhyexary 254Ballade of the New God 255

PATTIANN ROGERS (b. MARCH 23,1940)

Discovering Your Subject 256Foreplay 257

ROBERT PINSKY (b. OCTOBER 20,1940)

Shirt 259The Want Bone 261ABC 261

PETER MAKUCK (b. OCTOBER 26,1940)

Catsail 262Leaning Against the Bar at Wrong-Way Corrigan's

in Greenville, North Carolina 263

ROBERT HASS (b. MARCH 1,1941)

Meditation at Lagunitas 264A Story About the Body 265Forty Something 266

Contents

BILLY COLLINS (b. MARCH 22,1941)

Schoolsville 266Nostalgia 267Litany 269

Toi DERRICOTTE (b. APRIL 12,1941)

The Feeding 270On the Turning Up of Unidentified Black Female

Corpses 271Black Boys Play the Classics 2 72

GIBBONS RUARK (b. DECEMBER 10,1941)

Polio 273The Visitor 274Lecturing My Daughters 2 75

HENRY TAYLOR (b.JuNE 21,1942)

Artichoke 276Understanding Fiction, 277

CHARLES MARTIN (b.JuNE 25,1942)

E.S.L. 278How My Queer Uncle Came to Die at Last 280

B. H. FAIRCHILD (b. OCTOBER 17,1942)

Beauty 287

GLADYS CARDIFF (b. NOVEMBER 23,1942)

Combing 293Beautiful Zombies 294

SHARON OLDS (b. NOVEMBER 19,1942)

The One Girl at the Boys'Party 296The Girl 297\

I Go Back to May 193 7 298Topography 299

MARILYN HACKER (b. NOVEMBER 27,1942)

Wagers 300Ghazal on Half a Line byAdrienne Rich 301Omelette 302

SYDNEY LEA (b. DECEMBER 22,1942)

Young Man Leaving Home 304Hunter's Sabbath: Hippocratic 305

Contents

LOUISE GLUCK (b. APRIL 22,1943)

Mock Orange 306The Reproach 307Daisies 308

ELLEN BRYANT VOIGT (b. MAY 9,1943)

Daughter 309Lesson 310The Others 310

MICHAEL PALMER (b. MAY 11,1943)

Voice and Address 311A word is coming up on the screen... 313Unfitted 314

JAMES TATE (b. DECEMBER 8,1943)

The Lost Pilot 315The Blue Booby 317Teaching the Ape to Write Poems 318

ROBERT MORGAN (b. OCTOBER 3,1944)

Mountain Bride 318Sigodlin 319 ,

SHIRLEY GEOK-LIN LIM (b. DECEMBER 27,1944)

Pantoun for Chinese Women 321Riding into California 322Starlight Haven 323

DICK DAVIS (b. APRIL 8,1945)

Duchy and Shinks 324Farewell to the Mentors 325A Monorhymefor the Shower 326

KAY RYAN (b. SEPTEMBER 11,1945)

Turtle 327Bestiary 328Drops in the Bucket 328Mockingbird 329

LEON STOKESBURY (b. DECEMBER 5,1945)

To His Book 330Day Begins at Governor's Square Mall 330The Day Kennedy Died 332

Contents " xvii

MARILYN NELSON (b. APRIL 26,1946)

The Ballad of Aunt Geneva 334Lonely Eagles 335Minor Miracle 338

THOMAS LUX (b. DECEMBER 10,1946)

Kwashiorkor; Marasmus 339Refrigerator, 1957 340

YUSEF KOMUNYAKAA (b. APRIL 29,1947)

Facing It 341My Father's Love Letters 342Ode to the Maggot 343

MOLLY PEACOCK (b.JuNE 30,1947)

Buffalo 344Why I Am Not a Buddhist 345A Favor of Love 346

JIM HALL (b. JULY 4,1947)

Maybe Dats Your Pwoblem Too 347Sperm Count 349White Trash 350

AMY UYEMATSU (b. OCTOBER 18,1947)

Lessons from Central America 351

Ai (b. OCTOBER 21,1947)

Child Beater 352She Didn 't Even Wave 353

TIMOTHY STEELE (b.JANUARY 22,1948)

Life Portrait 354Sapphics Against Anger 355Social Reform 356

ALBERT GOLDBARTH (b. JANUARY 31,1948)

Dog, Fish, Shoes (or Beans) 357Rarefied 359

WENDY ROSE (b. MAY 7,1948)

Robert 361Alfalfa Dance 362Grandmother Rattler 363

Contents

HEATHER MCHUGH (b. AUGUST 20,1948)

Better or Worse 365A Physics 367The Size of Spokane 3 67

LYNN EMANUEL (b. MARCH 14,1949)

Frying Trout while Drunk 369The Sleeping 370Outside Room Six 3 71

DAVID ST.JOHN (b.JuLY 24,1949)

I Know 372My Tea with Madame Descartes 3 73

SARAH CORTEZ (b. FEBRUARY 11,1950)

Tu Negrito 376Undressing a Cop 377

RODNEY JONES (^.FEBRUARY 11,1950)

On the Bearing ofWaitresses 378Winter Retreat: Homage to Martin Luther King, Jr. 380

JULIA ALVAREZ (b. MARCH 27,1950)

from"33" 382How I Learned to Sweep 382Bilingual Sestina 384

CAROLYN FORCHE (b. APRIL 28,1950)

The Colonel 385Expatriate 386For the Stranger 387

JORIE GRAHAM (b. MAY 9,1950)

At Luca Signorelli's Resurrection of the Body 389I Watched a Snake 392Two Paintings by Gustav Klimt 394

MEKEEL MCBRIDE (b.JuLY 3,1950)

Aubade 397IfthatBoaty Pink Cadillac from 1959 With The Huge

Fins 398Kettle 399

EMILY GROSHOLZ (b. OCTOBER 17,1950)

Letter from Germany 400November 401

Contents

DANA GIOIA (b. DECEMBER 24,1950)

The Next Poem 402Planting a Sequoia 403Elegy with Surrealist Proverbs as Refrain 404

TIMOTHY MURPHY (b. JANUARY 10,1951)

The Track of a Storm 405Case Notes 406

ANDREW HUDGINS (b. APRIL 22,1951)

Air View of an Industrial Scene 408Where the River Jordan Ends 409Heat Lightning in a Time of Drought 410

JOY HARJO (b. MAY 9,1951)

She Had Some Horses 413Song for the Deer and Myself to Return On 415

JUDITH ORTIZ COFER (b. FEBRUARY 24,1952)

The Latin Deli:An Ars Poetica 416The Lesson of the Teeth 417

NAOMI SHIHAB NYE (b. MARCH 12,1952)

The Traveling Onion 418Yellow Glove 419

MARKJARMAN (b.JuNE 5,1952)After Disappointment 421Ground Swell 422

RITA DOVE (b. AUGUST 28,1952)

Adolescence—/// 424After Reading Mickey in the Night Kitchenybr the Third

Time Before Bed 425American Smooth 426

ALBERTO RIOS (b. SEPTEMBER 18,1952)

Madre Sofia 427The Purpose of Altar Boys 429

BRAD LEITHAUSER (b. FEBRUARY 27,1953)

A Quilled Quilt, A Needle Bed 431The Odd Last Thing She Did 432

HARRYETTE MULLEN (b. JULY 1,1953)

Any Lit 435Dim Lady 436

xx • Contents

MARK DOTY (b. AUGUST 10,1953)

Bill's Story 437No 439

GjERTRUD SCHNACKENBERG ( b . AUGUST 27 , 1 9 5 3 )

Nightflshing 440Signs 441Supernatural Love 441

MICHAEL DONAGHY (MAY 24, 1954-SEPTEMBER 16,2004)

Pentecost 443Black Ice and Rain 444The River in Spate 447

KIM ADDONIZIO (b.JuLY 31,1954)

First Poem for You 448Fine 449Target 449

MARY Jo SALTER (b. AUGUST 15,1954)

Welcome to Hiroshima 450Dead Letters: Part I 452

DAVID MASON (b. DECEMBER 11,1954)

Song of the Powers 453The Collector's Tale 454

GINGER ANDREWS (b. MAY 16,1956)

Primping in the Rearview Mirror 461

FORREST HAMER (b. AUGUST 31,1956)

Erection 462

LI-YOUNG LEE (b. AUGUST 19,1957)

Persimmons 463

H. L. HLX (b. NOVEMBER 24, I960)

from "Orders of Magnitude" 466

DENISE DUHAMEL (b.JuNE 13,1961)

Ego 467

CATHERINE TUFARIELLO (b. APRIL 9,1963)

UsefulAdvice 468

GREG WILLIAMSON (b.JuNE 26,1964)

Kites at the Washington Monument 470

Contents

RAFAEL CAMPO (b. NOVEMBER 24,1964)

Oysters 472

CHRISTIAN WIMAN (b. AUGUST 31,1966)

Afterwards 473

SHERMAN ALEXIE (b. OCTOBER 7,1966)

The Exaggeration of Despair 474

DIANE THIEL (b. MAY 9,1967)

The Minefield 476

A. E. STALLINGS (b. JULY 2,1968)

Hades Welcomes His Bride 477

SUJI KWOCK KIM (b. SEPTEMBER 26,1968)

Occupation 479

WILMER MILLS (b. OCTOBER 1,1969)

Ghost Story 480a

MORRI CREECH (b. SEPTEMBER 15,1970)

Broken Glass 481

BETH ANN FENNELLY (b. MAY 22,1971)

Asked for a Happy Memory of Her Father, She RecallsWrigley Field 483

Appendix A: Literary Movements 485

Appendix B: Major Prizes 494

Acknowledgments 498

Index of Poets, Titles, and First Lines 507