MY SON AND HUSBAND
And the bear they glimpsed, slipping
through the pines on a hillside
from their kayak on a lake.
And the sounds she might have been making.
The words she wanted to say. Her
five senses. Her
particles in
waves: Imagine
the empty rooms of her father’s
mansion, and
the pencil she set down
on a windowpane. Her
elsewhere. Her some other day. Her
unmuzzled, ready
for anything.
Visible, passive, exasperated
and no longer far away.
by Laura Kasischke
Laura Kasischke is a noted poet and author who thinks of herself as a poet first. Kasischke who teaches writing at the University of Michigan won the prestigious National Books Critics Circle Award last year for poetry and her book, “Space, in Chains.” She also has written eight novels, including four that have been made into movies; her novel “The Life Before Her Eyes” was made into a movie of the same name starring Uma Thurman. Kasischke, who grew up in Grand Rapids, will talk about her philosophy for teaching and writing poetry today Wednesday April 10 at the RCAH Center for Poetry at 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. in Phillips Hall on the campus of Michigan State University. The event is free.
Laura’s book “Suspicious River” is superior - check it out!