Gregory Orr (b.1947)
The Poem Comes Into the World
The world comes into the poem,
The poem comes into the world
Reciprocity—it all comes down
To that.
As with lovers:
When it’s right you can’t say
Who is kissing whom.
Gregory Orr (b.1947) is an American lyric poet and essayist who founded and directed the creative writing program at the University of Virginia for many years. He’s received numerous awards for his poetry including a Guggenheim award, NEA fellowships, and two American Academy of Arts and Letters awards. This poem is from his book Concerning the Book That Is the Body of the Beloved (Copper Canyon Press, 2005).
Selected by Amy Frykholm: amy@journeywithjesus.net
