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from the issue of September 6, 2007
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American Life in Poetry
BY TED KOOSER, U.S. POET LAUREATE, 2004-2006
Poet Marianne Boruch of Indiana finds a bird's nest near her door. It is the simplest of discoveries, yet she uses it to remind us that what at first seems ordinary, even "made a mess of," can be miraculously transformed upon careful reflection.
Nest
I walked out, and the nest
was already there by the step.
Woven basket
of a saint
sent back to life as a bird
who proceeded to make
a mess of things. Wind
right through it, and any eggs
long vanished. But in my hand it was
intricate pleasure, even the thorny reeds
softened in the weave. And the fading
leaf mold, hardly
itself anymore, merely a trick
of light, if light
can be tricked. Deep in a life
is another life. I walked out, the nest
already by the step.
Reprinted by permission of the author. Poem copyright (c) 1996 by Marianne Boruch, from "A Stick That Breaks And Breaks," Oberlin College Press, 1997, with permission of the author. First published in the journal "Field." Introduction copyright (c) 2006 by The Poetry Foundation. This weekly column is supported by the UNL Department of English and The Poetry Foundation. This column does not accept unsolicited poetry.
GO TO: ISSUE OF SEPTEMBER 6
ARTS HEADLINES FOR SEPTEMBER 6
Traveling art education program receives boost
American Life in Poetry
Composer to begin residency
Romanian double feature, Vietnamese family tale open Sept. 7 at the Ross
Sheldon hosts Sept. 7 opening for 'Seasonal Celebrations'
Student documentary premieres
Woods family donates Liu's 'Meal II' painting to Sheldon
'Year of the Great Plains Art Collection' continues
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