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| (Photo courtesy of Jan-Willem Geertsma, available at Free Images.) |
A Portrait of the Reader with a Bowl of Cereal
by Billy Collins
Every morning I sit across from you
at the same small table,
the sun all over the breakfast things—
curve of a blue-and-white pitcher,
a dish of berries—
me in a sweatshirt or robe,
you invisible.
[Karen here...I'm skipping to the end]:
and you will look up, as always,
your spoon dripping milk, ready to listen.
Go on. Pour the milk and sit down with Billy here, at The Writer's Almanac. Collins is always worth the click.
~~~~~
Amy has the round up at The Poem Farm.
8 comments:
Aw, heck! I'll eat a meal with Billy Collins any old time. Thank you for this one! Do you know this other cereal-mentioning poem? Hee hee! I love it - we were lucky enough to hear him read it a couple of years ago 'round these parts - http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poetrymagazine/poem/244438
Happy Poetry Friday!
Sigh. He's the perfect breakfast guest. I've always loved this poem. :)
Billy can make Cheerios fine dining or fine breakfasting. Thanks for this soul nourishing serving of Mr. Collins, Karen! =)
Amy, I had NOT read that one. Thank you! Lucky you to have heard him read it!
Jama and Bridget, I agree -- breakfast with Billy any time. :)
Karen, I love your presentation as well as the poem. I don't know many breakfast poems, perhaps it's time to start a collection? This one is sweet, with a tinge of sadness, don't you think? Thanks, & love that Amy added one, too!
I have a CD of him reading his poems and it never gets old. He makes it all look so easy! Thanks for sharing.
"maybe the tea leaves
of some dream will be stuck
to the china slope of the hour—"
I love this image! Thanks for this poem! It's lovely.
Linda, I love your idea of a collection of breakfast poems. I'm picturing them lined up on a shelf, like boxes of cereal. :) I know what you mean about the tinge of sadness -- to me, it's that picture of the writer all alone, a bit bereft until inspiration strikes.
Keri, he does make everything look easy, doesn't he? I've never seen him in person, but would love to. I'd be an embarrassing middle-aged fangirl. :)
Joyce, he continues to amaze me.
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