POEM OF THE DAY -- "Father" by Ted Kooser

Father

by Ted Kooser

Today you would be ninety-seven
if you had lived, and we would all be
miserable, you and your children,
driving from clinic to clinic,
an ancient fearful hypochondriac
and his fretful son and daughter,
asking directions, trying to read
the complicated, fading map of cures.
But with your dignity intact
you have been gone for twenty years,
and I am glad for all of us, although
I miss you every day—the heartbeat
under your necktie, the hand cupped
on the back of my neck, Old Spice
in the air, your voice delighted with stories.
On this day each year you loved to relate
that the moment of your birth
your mother glanced out the window
and saw lilacs in bloom. Well, today
lilacs are blooming in side yards
all over Iowa, still welcoming you.

-

POEM OF THE DAY -- "Screech Owl" by Ted Kooser

Here is the final POEM OF THE DAY post featuring this weeks poet, Poet Lauriate Ted Kooser.  "Screech Owl" is another of Mr. Koosers more famous poems, and is so typical of his accessibility and simple spiritual charm.  Most of Mr. Koosers poems are (1) simple brief stanza, and "Screech Owl" is no exception.

Share your thoughts on this one - can you see the owl?  Can you hear it?  Enjoy.

As with all of our featured Poets, we try to promote their more popular published works.  See the link below this and other Kooser Poem of the Day entries to order our recommended books from this author.

Screech Owl


by Ted Kooser

All night each reedy whinny
from a bird no bigger than a heart
flies out of a tall black pine
and, in a breath, is taken away
by the stars. Yet, with small hope
from the center of darkness
it calls out again and again.

-

POEM OF THE DAY -- "Tattoo" by U.S. Poet Lauriate Ted Kooser

In addition to being the U.S. Poet Laureate from 2004 to 2006, our Featured Poet this week, Ted Kooser, also won the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry in 2005 with his Poetry Work -- "Delights and Shadows". Ted's work is well known for it's clarity and fusing dissimilar objects or concepts - the result is usually something as beautiful as a fresh watercolor. Enjoy Tattoo, one of his more recognizable works!

I highly reccommend clicking on the link below and investing in "Delights and Shadows" - one of his most popular works.

Tattoo

By Ted Kooser

What once was meant to be a statement—
a dripping dagger held in the fist
of a shuddering heart—is now just a bruise
on a bony old shoulder, the spot
where vanity once punched him hard
and the ache lingered on. He looks like
someone you had to reckon with,
strong as a stallion, fast and ornery,
but on this chilly morning, as he walks
between the tables at a yard sale
with the sleeves of his tight black T-shirt
rolled up to show us who he was,
he is only another old man, picking up
broken tools and putting them back,
his heart gone soft and blue with stories.

-

POEM OF THE DAY -- "In January" by Ted Kooser

I love to read Ted Koosers poetry.  Pure and simple -- which is exactly what his poetry is.  In this particular poem, he captures the essence of Vietnam and a frozen city in the same poem.  His imagery is simple but you can't help your imagination...the word pictures are so vivid.  Enjoy Mr. Kooser!

In January 

by Ted Kooser

Only one cell in the frozen hive of night
is lit, or so it seems to us:
this Vietnamese café, with its oily light,
its odors whose colorful shapes are like flowers.
Laughter and talking, the tick of chopsticks.
Beyond the glass, the wintry city
creaks like an ancient wooden bridge.
A great wind rushes under all of us.
The bigger the window, the more it trembles. 

-

POEM OF THE DAY - "After Years" by Ted Kooser

Ted Kooser is a contemporary American Poet born and raised in Nebraska.  He's the author of more than 10 Poetry Collections and numerous fiction and non-fiction books...his open, easy style is very spiritual in nature - a delight to read - easy to understand - and Kooser is adept at using irony to capture and delight the reader.  Kooser was appointed the 13th U. S. Poet Laureate - the ultimate honor..

Enjoy this Kooser poem!

After Years  

by Ted Kooser

Today, from a distance, I saw you
walking away, and without a sound
the glittering face of a glacier
slid into the sea. An ancient oak
fell in the Cumberlands, holding only
a handful of leaves, and an old woman
scattering corn to her chickens looked up
for an instant. At the other side
of the galaxy, a star thirty-five times
the size of our own sun exploded
and vanished, leaving a small green spot
on the astronomer's retina
as he stood on the great open dome
of my heart with no one to tell. 

-