Great Regulars: "If all the animals were to vanish

from the earth," said Chief Joseph of the Nez Perce, "then men and women would die of a great loneliness of the spirit." Usually we think of loneliness as a condition of the heart, but the Native American's remark provokes a different sort of consideration. Does the human spirit require animal company? What does it offer us? And why, in the realm of the wordless, is the poet moved to words?

Here's the exercise: Think about an animal you've encountered, and make the clearest, most evocative physical portrait you can of that creature. Urbanites need not feel excluded: pigeons, rats, cockroaches and police horses are all welcome here.

from The Guardian: Poetry Workshop: Mark Doty's workshop

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