To A Beginning Poet
Posted on Tuesday, July 7, 2009
(Dr. Don Welch is a retired English professor from the University of Nebraska at Kearney , NE. )
To play a small candle
on a moonless night,
a voice of light
among the politics of black;
to be the instrument
of what wants to sing,
and not attracted to debris
and ruin; to stand up
for something falling down
the page, the significance
of the brief poetic moment-
how does this differ
from those dressed to kill
in fashionable cliches,
except to say what they can never say;
to let the heart of language
have its way, fire’s tongue
in the candle’s end,
of what you’ve loved,
and how you’ve been.
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Dee,
I felt the same way when I read this work by Dr. Welch. Yes, it is most moving.
David
Dear Don:
“Tech” day at ESU10 and while blogging away, I clicked on a favorite link and found your poem. Par, I was surprised at my choking back tears on your last two lines. Thank you…Dee Thompson(Morrell-Kersenbrock)