Thursday, August 16, 2007

A Kenneth Patchen Love Poem for Poetry Thursday



Oh now the drenched land wakes;
Birds from their sleep call
Fitfully, and are still.
Clouds like milky wounds
Float across the moon.

Oh love, none may
Turn away long
From this white grove
Where all nouns grieve.


– Kenneth Patchen

(from "The Love Poems of Kenneth Patchen", City Lights Books, 1966)

Posted for one of the last Poetry Thursdays to take place.

Note
To readers not familiar with this great and underrated American poet and novelist, I recommend the Wikipedia page on Patchen as a start.

2 comments:

paisley said...

kenneth,, that was truly lovely,, and as one noun to another,, i have felt it time and again....

maryt/theteach said...

Oh it's beautiful, Leon. How come I never knew about Poetry Thursday and now it's going away. :(