Why Do You Love the Poem?

A True Poem

I'm working on a poem that's so true, I can't show it to anyone.

I could never show it to anyone.

Because it says exactly what I think, and what I think scares me.

Sometimes it pleases me.

Usually it brings misery.

And this poem says exactly what I think.

What I think of myself, what I think of my friends, what I think about my lover.

Exactly.

Parts of it might please them, some of it might scare them.

Some of it might bring misery.

And I don't want to hurt them, I don't want to hurt them.

I don't want to hurt anybody.

I want everyone to love me.

Still, I keep working on it

Lloyd Schwartz

2000

El Poema / The Poem

A Octavio Paz

El poema gira sobre la cabeza de un hombre 
en círculos ya próximos ya alejados

El hombre al descubrirlo trata de poseerlo 
pero el poema desaparece

Con lo que el hombre puede asir
hace el poema

Lo que se le escapa
pertenece a los hombres futuros

          *

For Octavio Paz

Homero Aridjis

2001

Prefix: Finding the measure

Finding the measure is finding the mantram,
is finding the moon, as index of measure,
is finding the moon's source;

                                         if that source
is Sun, finding the measure is finding
the natural articulation of ideas.

                                              The organism
of the macrocosm, the organism of language,
the organism of I combine in ceaseless naturing
to propagate a fourth,
                               the poem,
                                               from their trinity.

Style is death.

Robert Kelly

1995

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Why Do You Love the Poem?

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Why Do You Love the Poem?

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