ANNE WALDMAN READING
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 23 AT 7:30 PM
FIRST FLOOR LOUNGE OF FALVEY MEMORIAL LIBRARY
“Verses for the New Amazing Grace” by Anne Waldman
The grace of all the bards who pen
Their words do transport me
Sweet vowels and consonants strengthen Goddess Poesy’s legacy
Heart pearls roll off the poets’ tongues
Who chant in praise of love
Troubadours blessed with hearty lungs
Esoterics zapped from above
Sappho’s bite and Shakespeare’s wit
& Dante’s mystical climb
Dickinson’s rhyme, bearded Whitman’s breath
Are etched in genetic spine
And if the planet cease to spin
Sad universe go silent, dark
Ancient poetry's echoes will make a din
Rekindle the primordial spark
O I bow down to Christ's thorny crown
All sacraments meant to heal
The Buddha's smile, old Yaweh's frown
And Allah's consummate zeal
But poetry's a Goddess sent
To save a wretch like me
She strums the strings of life's desperate edge
With her haunting melody.
--TD