In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content:

751 Woodridge Spears “Interleaf” The second half of the Spears writing team is Woodridge Spears, who, like his wife, is from Jesse Stuart country. His poetry tends to be academic and occasionally laden with remote allusions, but this one is just as dark and foreboding as his wife’s poem. h For Eve November night unlike those former hours, The stern with rain and heavy hours ago: Eleventh month and drawing to the bound, November night and mild-remembered, Summer-mild to come at this, the waning. The garden of the bright red bird is dark, A willow darkness fringes all the runs, Lost sometime color of the tangled vine, A window darkness, utter, still prevails. Motion mild speaks over the night, and speech Recedes at last to river, river tones That lap at passing, lap, and double on, Water mild as blessing sound, and gone. Settle for you the music of the light, Mild night, chosen bird, mirrors in the dark: River, river of blessed sound, Accept the invocation of the breath Not as a prayer, not as a prayer to death. ...

Share