“A great many people seem to think writing poetry is
worthwhile, even though it pays next to nothing and is not as widely read as it
should be.” – Mark
Strand
Born on Prince
Edward Island on this date in1934, Strand grew up near the famed “Green Gables”
home of fellow Island writer Lucy Maud Montgomery.
After high school he migrated to the U.S., earning degrees at Antioch
College, Yale, and Iowa and studied on a Fulbright Scholarship in Italy. The author of numerous poetry collections,
he also wrote 2 books of prose, several translations and monographs, and 3
books for children. 
Among his best-known
poetry works are Almost Invisible; Man and Camel; and Blizzard
of One, which won the Pulitzer Prize in 1999.
Among his best-known
poetry works are Almost Invisible; Man and Camel; and Blizzard
of One, which won the Pulitzer Prize in 1999.
Poet
laureate of the United States in 1990-91, he served as a Chancellor of the
Academy of American Poets from 1995-2000.
For Saturday’s Poem, here is Strand’s,
Keeping Things Whole
In
a field
I am the absence
of field.
This is
always the case.
Wherever I am
I am what is missing.
When I walk
I part the air
and always
the air moves in
to fill the spaces
where my body's been.
We all have reasons
for moving.
I move
to keep things whole.
I am the absence
of field.
This is
always the case.
Wherever I am
I am what is missing.
When I walk
I part the air
and always
the air moves in
to fill the spaces
where my body's been.
We all have reasons
for moving.
I move
to keep things whole.
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