Inspired by 'The Flow and Tension of Jazz'

 

“Poetry is not easy. Or should I say, real poetry is not easy.” – Robert Pinsky

The former Poet Laureate Consultant to the Library of Congress, Pinsky is the author of nearly two dozen books including this year’s Jersey Breaks: Becoming an American Poet.

 

Born on Oct. 20, 1940, he was a jazz musician before turning to writing and says his poetry has been inspired by the flow and tension of jazz and the excitement that it made him feel. For Saturday’s Poem, here is Pinsky’s,

 

      Samurai Song

When I had no roof I made
Audacity my roof. When I had
No supper my eyes dined.

When I had no eyes I listened.
When I had no ears I thought.
When I had no thought I waited.

When I had no father I made
Care my father. When I had
No mother I embraced order.

When I had no friend I made
Quiet my friend. When I had no
Enemy I opposed my body.

When I had no temple I made
My voice my temple. I have
No priest, my tongue is my choir.

When I have no means fortune
Is my means. When I have
Nothing, death will be my fortune.

Need is my tactic, detachment
Is my strategy. When I had
No lover I courted my sleep.