Poet, novelist, and environmentalist Wendell Berry was born in 1934. He lives on a farm in Port Royal, Kentucky near his birthplace, He is the author of over 40 books of poetry, fiction, and essays. His poetry celebrates the holiness of life and everyday miracles often taken for granted. “He is a master of many literary genres, but whether he is writing poetry, fiction, or essays, his message is essentially the same: humans must learn to live in harmony with the natural rhythms of the earth or perish.” Critics have written that Berry’s poems return us to the “clarity of purpose” and “simplicity” of William Wordsworth, Robert Frost, and John Clare. Passages of his poems convey the “sound of chopping in a murmurous forest, to lines of power, and memorable resonance. Many of Mr. Berry’s short poems are as fine as any written in our time.” *
Wendell Berry provides a gift to writers who are striving to find inspirations for continuing to improve in “How To Be a Poet.”
How To Be a Poet
(to remind myself)
i
Make a place to sit down.
Sit down. Be quiet.
You must depend upon
affection, reading, knowledge,
skill—more of each
than you have—inspiration,
work, growing older, patience,
for patience joins time
to eternity. Any readers
who like your poems,
doubt their judgment.
ii
Breathe with unconditional breath
the unconditioned air.
Shun electric wire.
Communicate slowly. Live
a three-dimensioned life;
stay away from screens.
Stay away from anything
that obscures the place it is in.
There are no unsacred places;
there are only sacred places
and desecrated places.
iii
Accept what comes from silence.
Make the best you can of it.
Of the little words that come
out of the silence, like prayers
prayed back to the one who prays,
make a poem that does not disturb
the silence from which it came.
*Bio summarized from information on www.poetryfoundation.org
For more information on Berry, visit http://www.wendellberrybooks.com
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How to get your Berry Inspired Poem Published on Litchatte.com
If you are inspired by Berry’s poem, I will consider publishing it or them. Simply send the poem(s) and your name via the Comments section of this Blog, www.Litchatte.com or send it as an M.S. Word Attachment along with any optional visuals to my email: ellisonms2@vcu.edu. Thanks, Murray
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