Levine ....

In such a deeply troubled time, so far as I am concerned about the only good news recently has been the naming of 83-year-old Philip Levine as our new Poet Laureate. Even as it honors him, it speaks well of us. Levine has a raspy, gritty, familiar voice. Often it is our own. And he has lived, or at least understands, the life we lead, and the times in which we find ourselves.

You can turn up almost all of his poems by searching on the web. I hope you will; they may help get you through the days.

Here is a link to him reading his own, on PBS.

And this, from his wonderful tribute and reminder, You Don't Know What Work Is:

  

"How long has it been since you told him
you loved him, held his wide shoulders,
opened your eyes wide and said those words,
and maybe kissed his cheek? You've never
done something so simple, so obvious,
not because you're too young or too dumb,
not because you're jealous or even mean
or incapable of crying in
the presence of another man, no,
just because you don't know what work is"