Friday, December 18, 2015

Poetry Friday: Richard Wilbur


I haven't shared Wilbur's "The Writer" for nearly a year and a half. That's practically criminal. It's time.

Time, especially, since Betsy completed her fifth NaNoWriMo novel last month, and Ramona finished the longest story, at 7,000 words, she's ever written. (7k was her goal, actually, but I've been informed that the story itself is not finished yet. Go, Ramona!)

For my daughters. The writers.


The Writer 
by Richard Wilbur

In her room at the prow of the house
Where light breaks, and the windows are tossed with linden,
My daughter is writing a story.

I pause in the stairwell, hearing
From her shut door a commotion of typewriter-keys
Like a chain hauled over a gunwale.

Young as she is, the stuff
Of her life is a great cargo, and some of it heavy:
....

(Read the whole poem here, at Poets.org, or listen to it here, at The Internet Poetry Archive.)

~~~~~

The Poetry Friday round up today is at Random Noodling

9 comments:

Diane Mayr said...

I love, love, love this poem. You're right, it was time to read it again. Happy to hear there are more writers coming down the pike. Merry Christmas to you all!

Joseph said...

Yes. The stuff of my past 82 years and 51 years married has been both a heavy and light load. Korea to Vietnam during 20 years as a Navy Hospital Corpsman I managed to keep the right course for that door to life.

jama said...

This is one of the first poems I ever posted for Poetry Friday when I began blogging back in 2007. Always a treat to read it again. Love your house of writers! :)

Julie said...

It' s hard to pick just one poem of Wilbur's, isn't it? I love this one.

Joseph said...

Although my comment was good for other posts it wasn' appropriate this time. Sorry. I did read and enjoy the poem for your daughters writing.

Karen Edmisten said...

So glad you all are sharing in my love for this Wilbur poem!

Dear Joseph, you have nothing to apologize for! Thanks for chiming in, and thanks for your service to our country. As someone who grew up in a military family (my father was in the Air Force) and is married to a former Marine, I am so grateful for all men and women who give up so much to serve. Thanks for taking the time to comment!

Mary Lee said...

Love this poem, and love it even more imagining your house full of writers!

Linda B said...

Sounds as if this poem should be framed and hung at your house, Karen. New to me, I must admit. Thank you!

Karen Edmisten said...

Thanks, Mary Lee, and Linda, lovely idea! :)