W.H. Auden said he appreciated it when people told him about good poets he might not have heard of or overlooked. If you are of like mind, try Kim Stafford.
His poem “My Iron Catastrophe” begins:
Everything was going to hell.
We all have times like that. A death in the family, a divorce, anguishing loss.
The poet goes for a walk with a friend, who asks him what he wants — and he keeps pushing past the things we usually say when a friend asks such a question. We want things for our children — for others. If we are writers, we want good words.
But what do we want for ourselves — for our own character? What trait would we most want to find?
I’m beyond blue at the catastrophic turn in this country’s politics.
I want to find something within myself that is a reply to the Iron Catastrophe.
Kim Stafford has written part of the liturgy that helps in that search.
• Sources: Kim Stafford, Wild Honey, Tough Salt; Pasadena, Calif.: Red Hen Press, 2019. “My Iron Catastrophe” is on p. 16.
His website is at https://www.kimstaffordpoet.com.
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