06 April 2009

National Poetry Month

It's National Poetry Month, and this is my favorite poem. I find it extremely touching. That last line kills me.

Saint Judas
by James Wright

When I went out to kill myself, I caught
A pack of hoodlums beating up a man.
Running to spare his suffering, I forgot
My name, my number, how my day began,
How soldiers milled around the garden stone
And sang amusing songs; how all that day
Their javelins measured crowds; how I alone
Bargained the proper coins, and slipped away.

Banished from heaven, I found this victim beaten,
Stripped, kneed, and left to cry. Dropping my rope
Aside, I ran, ignored the uniforms:
Then I remembered bread my flesh had eaten,
The kiss that ate my flesh. Flayed without hope,
I held the man for nothing in my arms.


Anybody else have favorite poems I should be reading this month?

4 comments:

CSIowa said...

Great favorite! Thanks for the introduction.

eliana23 said...

Wow, I've never read that one. Phenomenal Woman by Alice Walker is one of my all time favorite poems.

MBC said...

CSIowa--Glad you liked it!

Eliana--I like Phenomenal Woman, too. I heard a really good reading of it a couple of years ago.

Kirsten said...

MBC, I am sorry to say that I am not a poetry enthusiast. I can appreciate good poetry and you my friend are my poet connaisseur.

I saw this article for you though:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/7986036.stm

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