Just because you have a favorite poet, that doesn't mean you can't stumble upon poems of theirs that you've never read before. Such was the case last week with Naomi Shihab Nye and again today with William Stafford. I don't think I've ever read this one before. And it is definitely a gem--a work of poetic genius you might say. Can anyone capture an image like Mr. Stafford could?
"The Well Rising"
by William Stafford
The well rising without sound,
the spring on a hillside,
the plowshare brimming through deep ground
everywhere in the field—
The sharp swallows in their swerve
flaring and hesitating
hunting for the final curve
coming closer and closer—
Read the final stanza at the Poetry Foundation (really liking their new site design by the way). It was William Stafford who produced one of my most repeated poetry-related quotes. When asked by an interviewer when he started being a poet, Stafford replied "When did you stop?"
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