Hi All
The poems of Edna St. Vincent Millay filled my attention for years - and their aftershocks continue to shake the ground I walk upon.
A classic modern poet - rebellious, but conventional enough to enter the mainstream. She offered the best of both traditional and experimental poetry at a time the two schools were seemingly at war.
I've read her well-crafted work for decades. Her words continue to challenge me to accept both the classic and the poet sub-genres I do not yet wholeheartedly accept with open arms. Her words tell me it's okay to slowly adventure into the unknown.
Here is her poem, "Afternoon On a Hill".
Afternoon on a Hill
I will be the gladdest thing Under the sun! I will touch a hundred flowers And not pick one.
I will look at cliffs and clouds With quiet eyes, Watch the wind bow down the grass, And the grass rise.
And when lights begin to show Up from the town, I will mark which must be mine, And then start down!
- Edna St. Vincent Millay
