I'm going to lie in the weeds for a bit while others comment on the poems and on Richard's concise observations, which are elegant and penetrating. But I shall comment on all of them and why I thought them worthy of consideration. Chris, I remember word for word the first post card he sent me twenty-seven years ago. He was MUCH tougher on me than he was on you, and I was twenty-seven.
I talked to Dick this afternoon. Of course this is his second tour of duty, and he is astonished that the Sphere has such poets in its membership. I promised him eight fine poems by poets he had never heard of, an offer he couldn't resist! He warmly granted how just was my rueful contrast to the country's MFA programs. For now, just let me congratulate my colleagues for putting on a good show on behalf of all of us for our greatest living poet.
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