My Christmas/birthday gift this year was two inscribed books of poetry. Two inscribed books of poetry by former U.S. Poet Laureates to add to my "collection" (Billy Collins and Ted Kooser).
One of the two is THE QUARRY, by Richard Eberhart, who was Poet Laureate in the year of my birth.
The other is IN THE CLEARING, by Robert Frost. (Robert Frost!!)
This gift literally took my breath away. Still does.
Here is a quote by Richard Eberhart:
"Poetry is a maneuvering of ideas, a spectacular pleasure, achievement and mastery of intractable material, not less than an attempt to move the world, to order the chaos of man, insofar as one is able. Love, harmony, order; poise, precision, new worlds."
Here is a poem by Frost:
In a Glass of Cider
It seemed that I was a mite of sediment
That waited for the bottom to ferment
So I could catch a bubble in ascent.
I rode up on one till the bubble burst
And when that left me to sink back reversed
I was no worse off than I was at first.
I'd catch another bubble if I waited.
The thing was to get now and then elated.
Thank you, brother of mine, for the gift of poetry, and for a moment of elation!
