Poetry of William Corbett > Woodland Pattern Book Center

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William Corbett essay on the poetry "glut", reprinted from the Boston Phoenix

Corbett photos at WP (4/24/2004)

William Corbett

William Corbett is a Writer-in-Residence in the Program of Writing

and Humanistic Studies at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. His books of poetry include Boston Vermont (Zoland Books, 1999), New and Selected Poems (Zoland Books, 1995) and Don't Think: Look (Zoland Books, 1991). He has published two memoirs: Philip Guston's Late Work: A Memoir (Zoland Books, 1994) and Furthering My Education (Zoland Books, 1997). He writes frequently on art, and has published John Raimondi, Sculptor. He lives in Boston's South End and is an editor of the magazine Pressed Wafer.

"Poetry," John Wieners

Crossing Borders

William Corbett

"Poetry," John Wieners

told me, "is no longer
on my calendar."
John, beautiful poet,
kind and formal man,
set out crème de menthe
in gold rimmed goblets
and a plate of carrots,
shrugged and seemed relieved.

Crossing Borders

The mailman. Gold hood.
The mailman. Cold out.
How many are there
like me sitting at
desk, unshaven, 10 a.m.
the radio on one
ear cocked for the crash
of mail through the slot?
You can't live
for yourself alone.
Oh, you can but
is that all
there is to it?
Demonstrate charm,
advertise connectedness,
know the different
cheeses, how to garden
where to travel
until the dark rises
out of the indifferent bushes.

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