“The commune of Poetry becomes so real that [the poet] sounds each
particle in relation to parts of a great story he knows will never be completed.”
--Robert Duncan, Bending the Bow
The dynasty
Of Song, tangible as
The word sounds—
In this instance
Joyous, a small
Round, reddish-orange
Object plucked
From a mandarin’s
Bough.
So beautiful, plucked from the mandarin Duncan's bough. His work fascinates and frustrates me, always has, but there's no doubt of his position in the commune: high enough to invite comment and quirky enough to make commentators say some very silly things about him.
ReplyDeleteThanks for tasting this little one, Joseph; for what it's worth,it so happens I also share your feelings about Duncan and calling him a "mandarin" is spot on. :)
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