‘Of Elizabeth Bishop’ and Other Poetry by Julian Woodruff

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Of Elizabeth Bishop

Ms. Bishop is one able–eyed observer;
her vision is acute, that’s plain to see.
Staring at her, I doubt I could unnerve her,
though from the page she sometimes unnerves me.
The variations she can ring on lines
that reach their end in (word, not fact!) “disaster,”
wherein her art so eminently shines,
show me I’m in the presence of a master.
She gives herself to utmost concentration,
a wonder weaver wondering at the world.
Nothing she lights on brooks her reservation:
through her clear gaze full–textured life’s unfurled.
My breath is caught, my ear too; but my time
with her I love more when she deigns to rhyme.

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Tribute to Roethke

—his “Death Piece” parodied

Dense forest stands where sunlit spots
_Had breathed with buttercup.
The homestead of ten thousand thoughts
_Lies shaded now, locked up.

Ideas suffused with energy
_Ran races round this place,
Where spiders’ dust–bedecked debris
_Forms leaden branches’ lace.

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Julian D. Woodruff writes poetry and short fiction for children and adults. He recently finished 2020-2021, a poetry collection. A selection of his work can be read at Parody Poetry, Lighten Up Online, Carmina Magazine, and Reedsy.

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