At the Fair by Edith Sitwell

View this email on a browser Forward to a friend February 11, 2017   At the Fair   Edith Sitwell

I. Springing Jack   Green wooden leaves clap light away, Severely practical, as they   Shelter the children candy-pale, The chestnut-candles flicker, fail . . .   The showman's face is cubed clear as The shapes reflected in a glass   Of water—(glog, glut, a ghost's speech Fumbling for space from each to each).   The fusty showman fumbles, must Fit in a particle of dust   The universe, for fear it gain Its freedom from my cube of brain.   Yet dust bears seeds that grow to grace Behind my crude-striped wooden face   As I, a puppet tinsel-pink Leap on my springs, learn how to think—   Till like the trembling golden stalk Of some long-petalled star, I walk   Through the dark heavens, and the dew Falls on my eyes and sense thrills through.            This poem is in the public domain. About This Poem   "At the Fair" was published in Coterie in 1919.   Edith Sitwell was born on September 7, 1887, in Scarborough, North Yorkshire, England. Her books include Bucolic Comedies (Duckworth, 1923) and The Sleeping Beauty (Duckworth, 1924). She died on December 9, 1964. Poetry by Sitwell   Edith Sitwell: Collected Poems (Overlook Books, 2006) "Sweeney among the Nightingales" by T. S. Eliot "Love Songs (section III)" by Mina Loy "To E" by Sara Teasdale Poem-a-Day   Launched during National Poetry Month in 2006, Poem-a-Day features new and previously unpublished poems by contemporary poets on weekdays and classic poems on weekends. If you enjoy Poem-a-Day, please consider making a donation to help make it possible. 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