literature

The Reading

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Thastygliax's avatar
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Literature Text

The poet slouched a little, as if to hide
how tall he really was. He brushed the hair
out of his eyes with one nervous hand
as he held the book in the other and paced.
A hundred college students listened to him,
even quieter than people at a funeral
so they could hear every soft word of mourning
as he spoke about the women he had loved--
long walks together through campus towns,
the radio and highway in the sunset desert,
jazz music and dancing beside the sea--
always ending in one question too many,
so that she had to leave, or he did,
leaving behind only memories, and elegies.
Circa 1990(?).

This piece was inspired by a reading by Professor James Harms at Denison University, during or shortly after I took his creative writing class. The poems he read that night were later published in his first collection "Modern Ocean" (1992). [link] When Jim returned to Denison a couple years later for a reading of his book, I presented him with a copy of this poem. He was surprised to be the subject of a poem, and touched that he'd made such an impression.
© 2011 - 2024 Thastygliax
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WolfxBloodyTiger's avatar
love the description.