This is one of my absolute favorite poems by Dana Gioia. It is the first poem in the collection titled 99 Poems and is only the first of many sublime poems one will find in this timeless collection. I sometimes wonder if it could possibly be the best poetry collection at this particular time in human history. I purchased my copy some months ago after David Gosselin had recommended it to me, and it has since become one of my most beloved books. It contains an excellent selection of poems spanning the course of Gioia’s career, but at the same time, it is not so exhaustive that it would feel intimidating to some readers. I would definitely recommend it to any poetry lover. If you can afford to spend a little extra, I would also recommend the hardcover over the paperback. For me personally, some books just need to be owned in hardcover, and 99 Poems is one of them. Thank you, David, for such an excellent recommendation!
Interesting how the ponderousness of free verse here echoes the meaning of the words. How can they begin to dance on this present occasion? Or even walk? Or even stumble?
The correct spacing originally disappeared when the post got published, but it's been updated with an image of the poem to preserve the original spacing.
This is one of my absolute favorite poems by Dana Gioia. It is the first poem in the collection titled 99 Poems and is only the first of many sublime poems one will find in this timeless collection. I sometimes wonder if it could possibly be the best poetry collection at this particular time in human history. I purchased my copy some months ago after David Gosselin had recommended it to me, and it has since become one of my most beloved books. It contains an excellent selection of poems spanning the course of Gioia’s career, but at the same time, it is not so exhaustive that it would feel intimidating to some readers. I would definitely recommend it to any poetry lover. If you can afford to spend a little extra, I would also recommend the hardcover over the paperback. For me personally, some books just need to be owned in hardcover, and 99 Poems is one of them. Thank you, David, for such an excellent recommendation!
Now it is possible for each of us to climb that ladder!
https://substack.com/profile/100124894-steven-berger/note/c-55607366
Interesting how the ponderousness of free verse here echoes the meaning of the words. How can they begin to dance on this present occasion? Or even walk? Or even stumble?
The correct spacing originally disappeared when the post got published, but it's been updated with an image of the poem to preserve the original spacing.
The correct spacing makes it look like a ladder!