subtext

Galway Kinnell’s new book, Strong is Your Hold, came in the mail yesterday. Last summer when I was on pain killer’s I pre-ordered it, then forgot that I ordered it because of the drugs. It was a wonderful happy moment yesterday when I pulled it out of the mailbox. There is a poem, “When the Towers Fell,” about the attack on the world trade center that is amazingly beautiful. At the risk of sounding maudlin, by the time you get to the last word (yes the last word) you will be overwhelmed by everything. It is what makes poetry such a numinous moment: a glimpse of the face of god. It is not the subject, although it is that as well. The poem is stunning. I had the same feeling when I first read his book, “The Book of Nightmares” twentyfive years ago.