Poem-A-Day: Gone by Lia Purpura

October 16, 2013 Gone by Lia Purpura     It's that, when I'm gone,  (and right off this is tricky)  I won't be worried  about being gone.  I won't be here  to miss anything.  I want now, sure,  all I've been gathering  since I was born,  but later  when I no longer have it,  (which might be  a state everlasting, who knows?)  this moment right now  (stand closer, love,  you can't be too close),  is not a thing I'll know to miss.  I doubt I'll miss it.  I can't get over this.        Copyright © 2013 by Lia Purpura. Used with permission of the author.   About This Poem "The traditional fearsomeness of death (at least when thinking about my own) comes bearing a paradox that's been palpable to me (and slippery) since childhood. Visually, I guess the paradox would look like a moebius strip, the inside twisting around to become outside...I was finally able to slow it down enough to catch the sensation and pace it out and tack some words to it. The writing of the poem doesn't drive out the fear, but at least makes some space for the consistent surprise of the thought to land."   --Lia Purpura Most Recent Book by Purpura King Baby (Alice James Books, 2008)   Poem-A-Day Launched during National Poetry Month in 2006, Poem-A-Day features new and previously unpublished poems by contemporary poets on weekdays and classic poems on weekends. Browse the Poem-A-Day Archive.   Lia Purpura is the author of seven collections of poems, essays, and translations, including King Baby (Alice James Books, 2008). She is Writer in Residence at the University of Maryland, Baltimore, and on the faculty of the Rainier Writing Workshop. She lives in Baltimore, Maryland. Purpura will be on a panel titled "The Poetic Impulse" at the Academy's Poets Forum in New York City, October 24-26.     Related Poems Beyond Even This by Maggie Anderson Song ["When I am dead, my dearest"] by Christina Rossetti Heaven for Helen by Mark Doty __________________________ Join us at the Poets Forum in NYC, October 24-26 Purchase Tickets       Thanks for being a part of the Academy of American Poets community. To learn about other programs, including National Poetry Month, Poem in Your Pocket Day, the annual Poets Forum, and more, visit Poets.org.

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