For Charles Reznikoff
Lawyerly poet distilling
love and music from
inspiration, poeming
like a paralegal, a Kafka-
bureaucrat. Result: his
testimony, his witness
borne of Nuremberg —
blood in the South, in
Babi Yar — sit like bricks
on bookshelves, suitable
for libraries and court-
houses. And yet he wrote
a poem about a stray dog
who bonded with him,
rushed across a busy high-
way just to be with him,
and the poet’s poet re-
solved to keep him, even
buying him two burgers
at a fair. He lurched between
cold hard facts and a love
poem for a canine; no wonder
he self-published. Small price
to pay for writing what you like.
4 thoughts on "For Charles Reznikoff"
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Oh man, this is excellent, Lee. You paint such a picture of this man/poet, especially his lurching between cold hard facts and love poems. Those last two lines are stellar.
This is amazing.
And thank you for the introduction.
and love the closing two sentences immeasurably.
His poem ‘ subway’ just put me on the floor.
Thanks again for the intro.
Love it!