If one has heard a poet read their work, the voice comes back, naturally when one reads it, iin that person's absence.
The power that comes through, indeed physically resonates on a reading or perusal of these verses is far far stronger than I've experienced with any other poet of whatever renown
And I had no idea that he and I shared a 'contradictory' thing. A great wariness of Criticism. As expressed in a poem one suspects meant to be an articulate summing up of much of what he did and stood for: The final poem in this volume: 'I exist'.
But just because it's open 2 constructive criticism
doesn't mean it's vacant 4 destructive discussion
So when self appointed building inspectors enter 2
test my poem's poetic stability they soon discover the
versatility in collapsibility
But by the time they open their eyes and really realise
their blunder, they're far 2 deep inside just long
enough 4 me 2 push down on the plunger and explode
they didn't see it coming much less expect it
He adds:
As I thumb my nose at academic tradition...
But heh! we all have a wariness of Criticism! And the knack lies in knowing just what to ignore. But he does us great service by bringing the matter to the fore.
Again he's being the spokesperson for every writer everywhere when he speaks of 'crafting the practice that has become the snctuary of my [underlined] integrity'. And it was to that integrity that most of us responded. It would be an easy (and in some way a lazy) practice too to harp on his integrity. A cheap bit of idolatory. Yet it really was true.
He would - and I'm recalling our first meeting - look into you and connect up with something that few others did. Or if they did they took many years, an indefinite time even, to do so
Just writing this makes me realise at least in part the reason for his standout success. As quickly as he could home in on what was of great value in you; and indicate so in his actions. He was as fast on the ball in knowing what HE had to do to hone his supremacy. So that in performance none of could get near him
Those who give the most, get the most? Something like that
Very very good value here. Buy it. Soon