This week, the world lost Nobel laureate Derek Walcott, who said about poets: “For every poet, it is always morning in the world. History a forgotten, insomniac night; History and elemental awe are always our early beginning, because the fate of poetry is to fall in love with the world, in spite of History.”
Here is one of my favorite poems of all time. Rest in power, Derek Walcott.
Love After Love
by Derek Walcott
The time will come
when, with elation
you will greet yourself arriving
at your own door, in your own mirror
and each will smile at the other's welcome,
and say, sit here. Eat.
You will love again the stranger who was your self.
Give wine. Give bread. Give back your heart
to itself, to the stranger who has loved you
all your life, whom you ignored
for another, who knows you by heart.
Take down the love letters from the bookshelf,
the photographs, the desperate notes,
peel your own image from the mirror.
Sit. Feast on your life.
to read and enjoy the poems shared by others.
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11 comments:
One of my favourite poems, too. I had the good fortune to teach at a time when you could choose poems to teach students and love exploring Derek Walcott's poetry with my GCSE students.
And I love that poem as well.
I like that you wish for him to Rest in Power. A powerful poet indeed!
May God's perpetual light shine upon him in his rest.
It is really really, refreshing, to have a poet featured at the Garden making my experience real. One that I have admired, have spoken to face to face, and been audience to his readings
much love...
A beautiful poem, so telling and inspiring. I had missed this one. My learning poems to savor and ponder were "Abou Ben Adhem (may his tribe increase)" and "A Tree"--Leigh Hunt and Joyce Kilmer.
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What a poem! It is one to pin to the heart.
Indeed another poet giant who has left us...last of his generation.... and today it's the world poetry day too. I will come by later and link up something new.
Good morning Toads! May spring blow her sweet breath upon you.
I never heard that poem before, it was beautiful! We are never as good to ourselves as we should be. Awesome!
Finally got a poem up I re-worked from the past. This has been a heavy week of writing as my bike is still in the shop. They said it'd be done early so it will be any day now because the due date is tomorrow. I can't wait to ride it all tuned up after 31 years!
Have a great rest of the week! Hugs!
Playing a little late... have been busy trying to secure a rental home for my college daughter and her roomies - she's leaving the college dorms.
a terrible Tuesday here with a poem to match
- but on a brighter note it's Spring and toads are on the march back to their birth ponds.
I've not heard "Rest in power" before but it seems appropriate. Thanks to +Martin Kloess for steering me to this blog.
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