Great Regulars: If some poets seem eager to play tour guide,

to show you every knickknack in the flea market while keeping up a constant stream of patter, a good [Jack] Gilbert poem is content simply to stare at you--not hostile, not friendly, just very focused. It's a stark approach that can work well with stark subject matter. Consider "Michiko Dead," one of many lovely poems about the death of his wife at age 36. The poem begins, "He manages like somebody carrying a box/that is too heavy" and continues the conceit as it concludes:

from David Orr: The New York Times: Daily Devotions

~~~~~~~~~~~