I was watching Bill Moyers interview Poet Robert Bly this evening on WNET channel 13 in New York.
The topic was the Power of Poetry. http://www.pbs.org/...
During the interview a curious thing happened. Bly had just read one of his poems. He said that "It's a good poem, even for the United States right now."
Moyers asked "why?"
In the course of his answer Bly mentioned that'd be a good thing to say to Bush.
The television screen went black,"Thirteen" appeared on the screen and there was no audio.
Several seconds later the program resumed.
ROBERT BLYS POEM:
"I don't like it here. I want to go back. According to the old knowers, if you're absent from the one you love even for one second, that ruins the whole thing. There must be someone, just to find one sign of the other world in this town would be helpful." I feel that in Minneapolis.
"Just to find one sign of the other world in this town would be helpful. You know the great Chinese Saimer bird got caught in this net. What can I do? I'm only a wren. My desire-body, don't come strolling over this way. Sit where you are. It's a good place."
"When you want dessert, you choose something rich. When you choose wine, you look for what's clear and firm. What is the rest?" Talking about-- "What is the rest?" The rest is television. "What is the rest? The rest is mirages and blurry pictures and milk mixed with water. The rest is self-hatred and mocking other people and bombing. So, just be quiet and sit down. The reason is you're drunk. And this is the edge of the roof."
It's a good poem, even for the United States right now.
BILL MOYERS: Why?
ROBERT BLY: Um, look for what's clear and firm. "What is the rest? The rest is mirages and blurry pictures and milk mixed with water." That is the way to cheat in the old days. "The rest is self-hatred and mocking other people and bombing. So, just be quiet and sit down." That'd be a good thing to say to Bush.
(The television screen went black,"Thirteen" appeared on the screen and there was no audio.)
The missing part:
Just be quiet and sit down. The reason is you're drunk. And this is the edge of the roof."
Several seconds later the program resumed.
_______________
BILL MOYERS: Your mature life has been bracketed by two wars, two long wars: Vietnam and Iraq. And you wrote poems against Iraq, and you wrote poems against Vietnam. And both of them went on.
ROBERT BLY: Yeah.
BILL MOYERS: Poetry didn't stop the war.
ROBERT BLY: No, it's never been able to do anything of that sort. It merely speaks to the soul, so the soul can remember -- so it's quite proper to have all the poems against the war. And it's proper not to be disappointed if nothing changes.