On the Anniversary of John Steinbeck's Death
- On the Anniversary of John Steinbeck's Death
Even now,fifty years on, I knowyour eyes had seen the gloryof the best laid plans—such fearful symmetries—spread out across your pages.To whom shall I give thanks?
And even now,fifty years on, I readand hearken to your voice.Your words—wanton as water—turn every way, and sing,pouring over mesuch light. Eternally?Eternal as I read.To whom shall I give thanks? [End Page 115]
kevin hearle is the author of Each Thing We Know Is Changed Because We Know It, and Other Poems, which was a finalist for the National Poetry Series. He is one of fifty poets represented in California Poetry: From the Gold Rush to the Present, and his work has appeared in many anthologies and journals. A graduate of Stanford, the Iowa Writers' Workshop, and UC Santa Cruz, he has taught poetry at UC Santa Cruz, San Jose State, Cal State Los Angeles, Notre Dame de Namur, and Santa Clara University, and was the judge of the California State Poetry Society's 2017 poetry competition. He is also a widely published Steinbeck scholar and founding member of the editorial board of Steinbeck Review.
