Great Regulars: For [Adam] Zagajewski, historical carnage

is endured by loving those close to us ("when we were together/in a white room"). The poem moves from large to small to large again. By contrast, in "If I May," Mississippi poet Brooks Haxton drolly springs from the worldly occasion of receiving a poetry prize to a God whose existence is--though scientifically dubious--praiseworthy:

from Mary Karr: The Washington Post: Poet's Choice

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