Thursday, March 19, 2009

INNER LANDSCAPE

OX: Harry Smith published a magazine called The Smith. He started it long before Unmuzzled OX, long before my foolish abandonment of Canada for corrupt America. The word “genius” died in 1929 with, perhaps, the Crash. Other words for the “canon” such as “great” and “major” are also outmoded. Let me opine only that Harry is a wonderful poet. Little Things has just been published by Prensa. I asked Harry to name his favorite poem in Little Things.

SMITH: Different days I’d probably make different choices, depending on my bent in the period or what commands my attention at the moment.

While most people wouldn’t single it out, a poem called ‘Inner Landscape’ came immediately to mind when I read your email. It’s in a class of poetry where the music precedes the words, and where I find the words for the inner music. From the beginning, a significant fraction of my poetry has been in that realm.

INNER LANDSCAPE

The flooded woods,
the redding buds
which herald
winter’s end
wound my heart
with yearning
white as snow,
and memories
of run off years
rise with sighs,
and I go
gently borne
here & there
like a seed on the rivulets of spring.

2 Comments:

Blogger Michael Andre said...

Harry Smith has died. I liked Harry very much.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_Smith_%28poet%29
Harry Smith (poet) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
en.wikipedia.org

Educated at Brown University (class of 1957) Smith first became known in the small press world as the founder of The Smith, a literary magazine and journal of experimental writing that was in publication from 1964 to 1974.[2] Later he established a second magazine, Pulpsmith, and a small press, The ...

11:56 AM  
Blogger Michael Andre said...

Here is a link to an article by Jared Smith on Harry Smith

http://dougholder.blogspot.com/2012/11/jared-smith-he-will-be-compared-to.html

Boston Area Small Press and Poetry Scene:
Jared Smith on the late small press icon Harry Smith: A.
dougholder.blogspot.com
This blog consists of reviews, interviews, news, etc...from the world of the Bos...

11:58 AM  

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