This post is part of a month long spotlight on the poet Rita Dove, which we are concluding, fittingly, with poems about aging. They are both included in her collection On the Bus with Rosa Parks. Also don’t miss her new collection, published August, 2021, Playlist for the Apocalypse. Against Self Pity Against Self Pity …
How does reading two poems appearing side by side in a collection show us different ideas? What does Rita Dove want us to understand about reading by putting these poems in a collection about “Freedom”?
Nightwatch. The Son. (Aggressively adult, they keep their lives, to which I am a witness. At the other end I orbit, pinpricked light. I watch. I float and grieve.) Singsong When I was young, the moon spoke in riddles and the stars rhymed. I was a new toy waiting for my owner to pick me …
Today we have our last poem from our July spotlight poet, Pablo Neruda. I couldn’t leave you without the “Song of Despair” that comes after the 20 love poems. Don’t forget to check The Lois Level for our other entries! As always, my response is below, but read the poem and formulate your own response …
