[New-Poetry] Kay Ryan

[David Graham]

If the notion is to pick a laureate who will promote poetry with a  
big public splash, Ryan seems an odd choice.  (As were Kunitz &  
Gluck, among others.)  But if the idea is to highlight good poems,  
well, hallelujah.

The Poetry Foundation has a very nice spread on Ryan, by the way:

http://poetryfoundation.org/archive/poet.html?id=80608

My longstanding favorite Ryan poem:

Blandeur


If it please God,
let less happen.
Even out Earth's
rondure, flatten
Eiger, blanden
the Grand Canyon.
Make valleys
slightly higher,
widen fissures
to arable land,
remand your
terrible glaciers
and silence
their calving,
halving or doubling
all geographical features
toward the mean.
Unlean against our hearts.
Withdraw your grandeur
 From these parts.

-- Kay Ryan.  Say Uncle.  Grove Press, 2000.




========================================
David Graham
grahamd at ripon.edu

Home Page:
http://web.mac.com/drjazz

Poetry Library:
http://web.mac.com/drjazz/iWeb/Site/DGPoLibrary.html
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