Today, I'm thinking about Ruth Stone, who was a poet I studied with as an undergraduate. On days where I'm overwhelmed with thoughts and ideas, I think about Ruth and how she makes everything poetic, and questions anyone who claims truth and expertise from data and analysis. I had her as a student when she was in her late seventies and early eighties. It was the 1990s. I took her lessons as wisdom. Here's a little poem of hers, although there are thousands.
So What
For me the great truths are laced with hysteria.
How many Einsteins can we tolerate?
I leap into the uncertainty principle.
After so many smears, you want to wash it off with a laugh.
Ha ha, you say. So what if it's a meltdown?
Last lines to poems I will write immediately.
Her words may mean nothing to you, but to me, everything she is, writes and stands for blooms like a crocus in spring. She makes me happy, because remembering her lessons give me hope in life.
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