A Poem for a Thursday #315

Jane Kenyon was born in 1947 in Michigan. After her marriage, she moved to New Hampshire where she spent the rest of her short life. She was New Hampshire’s poet laureate at the time of her death. Kenyon published four volumes of poetry and also worked as a translator. Her poetry is described as simple, spare, and unsentimental.

She lay on her back in the timothy
and gazed past the doddering
auburn heads of sumac.

A cloud—huge, calm,
and dignified—covered the sun
but did not, could not, put it out.

The light surged back again.

Nothing could rouse her then
from that joy so violent
it was hard to distinguish from pain.

In the Grove:  The Poet at Ten
Jane Kenyon