His Noble Numbers

By George Klawitter

His Noble Numbers collects new poems from

George Klawitters
most recent work and a few poems written fifty years ago. The

themes
focus on nature, memory, and the human condition. Some of

the
poems are evocative of important world events, but most of the

poems
commemorate people and events close to the author. The

forms are
often tight, including several sonnets and a sestina, but meter is

more
often free flowing, carrying the natural rhythms of conversation.
Many of the poems reflect Texas, especially the Texas Hill

Country,
where the author has spent the last seventeen years of his life.

• Language: English
• Publisher: iUniverse
• Release date: Feb 1, 2011
• ISBN: 9781450290340

George Klawitter

George Klawitter, CSC, retired in 2012 from St. Edward’s University in Austin, Texas, where he taught for eighteen years and chaired the Department of English Literature for eight years. He now teaches at Holy Cross College, Notre Dame. He published a life of Brother Gatian (After Holy Cross, Only Notre Dame) and the lives of early religious Brothers (Early Men of Holy Cross). He has also published two books of Holy Cross missionary letters: Adapted to the Lake and Holy Cross in Algeria.

Book preview

Contents

Alan Altimont

Acknowledgements

Other Poetry Books by George Klawitter

To His Book

Backyard Drama

Garcia

Descent

Wonders Will Never Cease

The Rothko Chapel

Trueblood

Years After

Wool Gathering

Final Day

Family Confession

Kill to Shoot

Fingers

Cemeteries

Justin

Professor Angus Mitchell

Autumn Shakespeare

Wisconsin Solo

Differences

Passage

The Trampoline at Midnight

The Swan at Blarney

Texas Fall

Puzzle

At the Delta

Dog Gone

A Flower’s Ruse

Leaving San Angelo

Maternity

Painters

Heritage

The Life of a Professor

Streaks of Sadness

A Time for Answers

In the Boat

Franciscan in the Ashes

November Gift

The Loneliness of the Hunt

For a Favorite Niece

Peace Poem

Monastery Visitor

Think About It

The Soft Spot That Will Not Heal

Autumn

Art Responds to Artist

Carnival Animals

Pseudodoxia Epidemica

Celestine Invicta

Gram

We Release You

Happy Times

The Methodist Way

Office Visit

Pieta

Eggs for Show

You Put in the Commas

A Lesson from the Dolphins

In the Garden

Revolution

Poets for James Merrill

Parade

Portrait

for Alan Altimont

The man whose silent dayes

in harmeles joyes are spent,

whome hopes cannot delude,

nor sorrow discontent,

that man needes neither towers

nor armour for defence,

nor secret vautes to flie

from thunders violence.

Hee onely can behold

with unafrighted eyes

the horrours of the deepe,

and terrours of the Skies.

—Thomas Campion

Acknowledgements

Art Responds to Artist in Touchstone

Descent in Visions International

In the Garden in Touchstone

Kill to Shoot in Texas Poetry Calendar

Mr. Angus Mitchell in Sorin Oak Review

The Randy Telephone Man in Très di-verse-city

Justin in Borderlands

Dog Gone in Sorin Oak Review

Passage in 2010 Texas Poetry Calendar

Carnival Animals in Texas Carnival Glass Newsletter

Other Poetry Books by George Klawitter

Country Matters

The Colt

Let Orpheus Take Your Hand

The Agony of Words

To His Book

Who with thy leaves shall wipe (at need)

The place, where swelling Piles do breed:

May every Ill, that bites, or smarts,

Perplexe him in his hinder-parts.

—Robert Herrick

Backyard Drama

The neighbors sneer, but she’s defiant,

continues to feed the raccoon nightly,

the possum, and the rabid lonely fox

who show up darkly apologetic, sick for love.

That’s when the moon shimmers everything

in soft, romantic light. No such theater

in full sun when all the birds appear,

the wren and sparrow, cardinal, and jay.

At noon comes her favorite rogue, the one

who stopped an August day to steal her heart—

a road runner, skinny as a twig and mindless

in his dominance of the molting yard.

She didn’t mind the occasional finch he ate,

but one brown afternoon he grabbed a prize,

the only parakeet, and bashed its beady head

on the flat patio rocks, beat it dead.

She ran for her broom, but the rogue-bird

flew its bounty to a neighbor’s eave

to eat in peace and spit green feathers

on the tearful matron down below.

Funny how abuse comes home