Honestly, by John Ashbery

View this email on a browser Forward to a friend April 1, 2015   Honestly,   John Ashbery

we could send you out there to join the cackle squad, but hey, that highly accomplished, thinly regarded equestrian—well there was no way he was going to join the others’ field trip. Wouldn’t put his head on the table. But here’s the thing:   They had owned great dread, knew of a way to get away from here through ice and smoke always clutching her fingers, like it says to do.   Once we were passionate about the police, yawned in the teeth of pixels, but a far rumor blanked us out. We bathed in moonshine. Now, experts disagree. Were we unhappy or sublime? We’ll have to wait until the next time an angel comes rapping at the door to rejoice docently.   (I know there’s a way to do this.)            © 2015 John Ashbery. Used with permission of the author. About This Poem   “It’s difficult for me to comment on the writing of a poem. It seems to be a process of discovering something and then forgetting it. ‘Experts disagree’ reminds me of Laura Riding’s book title Experts are Puzzled. Both of us, I think, are suspicious of experts, but in my case it’s a question of finding out whether we were formerly unhappy or sublime. The last line crystallizes for me the desperate hope of every poet when writing. Let’s hope ‘there’s a way to do this.’” —John Ashbery   John Ashbery is the author of Breezeway (Ecco, 2015). He lives in New York.   Photo credit: Lynn Davis Most Recent Book by Ashbery   Breezeway (Ecco, 2015) "Meditations in an Emergency" by Frank O'Hara "Red Lilies" by Barbara Guest "One Train May Hide Another" by Kenneth Koch Poem-a-Day   Launched during National Poetry Month in 2006, Poem-a-Day features new and previously unpublished poems by contemporary poets on weekdays and classic poems on weekends. 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.   You are receiving this e-mail because you elected to subscribe to our mailing list. If you would like to unsubscribe, please click here.   © Academy of American Poets 75 Maiden Lane, Suite 901, New York, NY 10038