Wednesday, April 25, 2007

Atwoodian versification


Margaret Atwood, Canadian icon, is receiving the Grand Prix award at Montreal's Blue Metropolis Literary Festival, even as I speak...um, type. She is so amazingly prolific at novel writing and at poetic production; such a clever and amusing woman, she is someone I really admire. Here is one short poem:

Habitation

Marriage is not
a house or even a tent
it is before that, and colder:

The edge of the forest, the edge
of the desert
the unpainted stairs
at the back where we squat
outside, eating popcorn

where painfully and with wonder
at having survived even
this far

we are learning to make fire.

Margaret Atwood


You can also hear Atwood reading her poetry at this poetry site.

2 comments:

  1. Yay Atwood! My husband told me this morning that he has heard she will be publishing a new book of poetry this fall. I can hardly wait!

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  2. Stefanie, I can't wait either! Funnily enough, it was my husband who pointed this out to me also...

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