Laden...
| Having trouble viewing this email? Click here |
Letter from the Editors
Dear Readers,
Our thanks to Randall Horton for today's Poet's Pick!
We are bringing you a special poem and commentary each weekday in April as part of our annual fund-raising campaign and in celebration of National Poetry Month. Please help us to continue our service to you and to poetry by making a tax-deductible contribution to Poetry Daily! Click here to find out how you can contribute online or by mailing a check or money order.
Thank you so much for your support! Enjoy today's special poem and commentary!
Warmest regards,
Don Selby & Diane Boller
Editors
"El Beso"
by Angelina Weld Grimké (1880-1958)
Twilight—and you
Quiet—the stars;
Snare of the shine of your teeth,
Your provocative laughter,
The gloom of your hair;
Lure of you, eye and lip;
Yearning, yearning,
Languor, surrender;
Your mouth,
And madness, madness,
Tremulous, breathless, flaming,
The space of a sigh;
Then awakening—remembrance,
Pain, regret—your sobbing;
And again, quiet—the stars,
Twilight—and you.
Randall Horton Comments:
Angelina Weld Grimké is an often overlooked writer of the Harlem Renaissance. Her poem El Beso which predates the Harlem Renaissance, displays exquisite command of structure and line integrity as the poem escorts the reader through a range of emotions in verse ahead of its time. Grimké abandons rhyme and depends on the surprise and play of language for a structure that gives the reader not only a poem, but an experience.
About Randall Horton:
Randall Horton is the author of three collections of poetry and Hook: A Memoir (Augury Books, 2015). He is associate professor of English at the University of New Haven.
Don't forget! If you enjoy our regular features and special events like this one, please join Randall Horton in supporting Poetry Daily by making a tax-deductible contribution.
|
Laden...
Laden...
© 2025
