Saturday, April 30, 2011

Tonight No Poetry Will Serve: Poems 2007-2010 by Adrienne Rich

"Spooky those streets of minds
shuttered against the shatter

articulate those walls
pronouncing rage and need"

Adrienne Rich has over 30 books of poetry, almost all a compilation built on the years the poems were written. At 81 years, I would be remiss if I didn't proclaim loudly that she is one of the most influential poets of our time. This collection is a reflection of a long life, love, trust, betrayal and as always social commentary.

Adrienne Rich is not an easy read but she is a necessary one. She pulls you into each sentence and demands you focus on the message she is sending. A gasp here; a shudder there; an overwhelming sense of awe as her words take your breath away. As Rich says, "I believe almost everything I know, have come to understand, is somewhere in this book."  Indeed. 2011, 89 pages.

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