Hero Clues and Other Poems

By Lewis E. Birdseye

What did W. H. Auden mean when he said that poetry makes nothing happen? He wasnt announcingin poetry, mind youthat poetry has no purpose and serves no function whatsoever. His memorial to William Butler Yeats, where this line is to be found, tells us a different story. Certainly, poetry doesnt make everything happen, but those things that can be said to be goodto be a part of that complex abstraction Plato and Aristotle called the highest goodinvolve poetry at its most fundamental level of meaning. Perhaps Shelley said it best when he wrote in his Defence of Poetry that poets are the unacknowledged legislators of the world. They speak truth to fact, or as Shelley put it simply, a poem is the image of life expressed in its eternal truth. That somewhat paradoxical line of Audens is a strategic call to the reader, a gage thrown at his feet, and a challenge to find, recognize, and celebrate all the things that poetry is and what the poet does. No, we gently chide the poet, poetry makes so much happen. And Mr. Auden, your poem thats such a moving paean to the power of imagination wedded to wordspoetry, you knowhas the power to move our souls, to touch the deepest part of us. That, Mr. Auden, is something, something pretty amazing and well worth celebrating.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Oct 12, 2016
• ISBN: 9781524539245

Lewis E. Birdseye

Lewis E. Birdseye earned a PhD from Columbia and has been an educator for much of his life. In addition, he has worked as a high-rise construction worker, a professional river guide on the Chatooga River, has run fifteen marathons and several ultra marathons, and has toured by bicycle much of Europe—from above the Arctic Circle in Norway to the islands of the Aegean Sea. He lives in Eugene, Oregon, with his hospitalist wife, and together they tend to their organic garden. He is the author of five works of fiction: Vastation, The Unsubdued Forest, In My Beginning, The Gate of Ivory, and The Gate of Horn. His lifelong wish has been to be a poet or a river otter living on a wild and scenic river far from the madding crowd.

Book preview

��xQabook_preview_excerpt.htmleYˎ�6��n(���m��v���p;0��JT�)��I���*�0���˗�9�zUN��"���s�e_�����n�?�{zR�/���������j[��W��J�j�Ug�W��Z��Ư���`rU�O&)rk�Q�����:�����Yi����y��_޳�Vcv���{�~�}Hf���ϲ�j�E���蜂y66���v*��:gu�n��LT�,���hp;�����2��]50�%5$��{�`��*��+��Ĭ�w�la��=W�c���JUC�a0_���8x@�9~r�1�Z����G�z� ʹ>t�3ߕ�R�����i��ܛha �ľ��Ĩ�[�����=��t�j3��uG8'f�a��d"�I�Eh�X��f�� ��aF�k�ݼ3��Ý>��_��%��������ɇ3,?�xg�6ѷ�������2V ��S!*���M%���;u��F��Nr��l��b�� ����&%���M�ϸ�~��'��:s�u�u�n1���:���C�b�29HJh(�F�&�����6��g&�Ƙ̟-��<��e4�p���c�ƙ�(ټ�ה`ځ�b1��k
�z�`���ͲdwY�)�n8�����8���5Kl �ĕ�zf ��\1�އ3j�b�ץzM]�d�N�Ѳ�"$dW���c��0�$aʁGsUmLO`��3�+I�nk�M�M��n�����Q���G�0E��9�R�/{�䞵,`}������|/10ݔ�&8�Wj?��p�� 6��Ł4��$��+,sI�R�Z�K��/"�Jv����x��/vU`FF�"�&��X{��Fǭ't��? Ʉ�آ^H�;�r���#LG-��K}���G @S�Ki�y�R�����<ԃ��LP�O �-���0�Hc׷����c�B��0��4 ���@?:p��BHi���%<����e�5ðjg��Ԫ�B���� n�,�
��-���|�A�8U�+;��+ȳY��/��=dj�c�O�(_���l���,�������=�!=��=�Su��°&�)���3���S���&[��Ċ=>�BuΦ�s!V�9/`��taXw�ù�X��`�D���h�-�8�X�n����R�_A���AXc:��N�7~�>��h�=��s������T�-B�j�"k�\��y��v�i�F}|�����߾�Oc�"� >A�L���ѩE����a��D5�ڣ�8ߖ�tFë��_�����aA��� 5ʓ\���y9y�v�jo��X�{��� ���`7��F���?����ʗ�F�׶Դ S����>P�7Ųy ��B�#0��04�@����� �h�O�+�� �HY��Sb�6ۡұ�g���w@J��#e�,�Hh��N"g?�!�K)3�vБ $�X[[ę����wy��7�_i�pleA����p^t����k`{BX? �+#����� �m
6�>���p6(�-K��}���Ym'2��<��>�o �5�r�Ni.�U7���|��%L2�}A�{7𑈑�����R���)��`��� �M����U
��:��m�' Oˆ\j{q�N�M={��kl�D��?�����{�7.�{Bf��BB6�<�{y��BlE�\�8�a�v��1p�!.�~V�Q @��D�OJv��Y�gݾ�B�4��sW��;EΒh�z�df�l��H�y�+����&���>0��r;�(�=x�|����Z��ɷ�a饢���n왆��Y*��y&�3+CY�N $٥f���$� d�<��p1��>�X̃L>�B�:je�'�mِ�8$�5v.c�f�R)�I�1�l���|�Rz���&�ӊ1�Կ�o��������6 k ��n��f�NS�[��Gg*;Q����#���J<�K� y W-���Y�+7CW�8�BCf@/=S���斁Qǡ[3�f�9�\��夣�,�H����+��n|��N=�WOo�?\t�}�g�,|�Ǥ�=�Mg��
��Q��D�fkQS<q��`8:'�#@?قr���q!;��y�^�������p��9��|���y�1�؋м���w�`���<��%��I�uzd7�#�$;Ҷ5���Ff���N���2�7��m�*�e!�m�7�B��GB(ɭ
��+|��+��Ot�9tv�)�?�yc�A�_Hl�25�Yӱ:Xƽ�y����'�m�γn���&��#8�� }t��)Θg3ާ��Q��bb�o>4�a'�0���p��.!1N�Ex�����Ʀ�\�l��OY���(�Z�ፇd��6�!VB�N�����A�
��dg����l�.[+�|:�X�t9��tQ5��i��a���}p�-��D��d�|n�y���EVr�6��؏v�F��p����|6�Ĉ^&5����セM�"�P q�,p����%����Y^�-4����eԁt�F�nitr��J{3}]�7��)�u���Q}���������Vyi���x��T��U�y���T�f-%U�@`�m�ٙ�L�?E�5�cۄ���3 LS �1��lE�:�oH��eA��!5+��W!��$���3c2���HY�S��-}d +��LEN���W��T�e(�qv/���l�Z�d�YG�0ߎ�ٰ2�n��W�E�� �b�t�{s�T� ]f�&od�q@�d�۩g�:��$�
����Y{����|�z9Җ�}���tt��\�dk�r�%dS?1=���������@�,G�yǾ�Pn�I�_�y�����l� ?�(�'�E#�)�ț��W�Y
")��^�p��?=���K��Nb�~p�mz�W:��Xl(�z��E1>��S_���Ç�.��!H, �,�2�1{uk��j�ju�Kں��E�[l{K�S~���`V2��G�A�C!R���I&%7�l��[
Q�(>Rc�۲#ɭ8d����i� ������9� m{��GH�[/��6����:����^�ad3�|�-�3����i���[��r�����~��4�]X���&��]��tmX�7���� ���(�S���2@���A�Ŀ5�;�<�%�(�����j8��Me�Ag�q��������!�
/����tI`���DP��ݺX���O%g��̹�/��d�ue.OLղ�8��h� �ly��(s�=���x�� �ܖ}�2g2x ��4�r� ԙ`�a��n