Poem-a-Day, April 10: Audacity my roof

Samurai Song

When I had no roof I made
Audacity my roof. When I had
No supper my eyes dined.

When I had no eyes I listened.
When I had no ears I thought.
When I had no thought I waited.

When I had no father I made
Care my father. When I had
No mother I embraced order.

When I had no friend I made
Quiet my friend. When I had no
Enemy I opposed my body.

When I had no temple I made
My voice my temple. I have
No priest, my tongue is my choir.

When I have no means fortune
Is my means. When I have
Nothing, death will be my fortune.

Needs is my tactic, detachment
Is my strategy. When I had
No lover I courted my sleep.


*

Hello Friends —

Today's poem comes from tercet master Robert Pinsky, opening his 2000 collection Jersey Rain.

April is National Poetry Month, and I am celebrating by emailing out my own eclectic selection of one poem per day for the duration of the month. If you wish to be unsubscribed from this Poem-a-Day email list at any time, please reply to this email with a friendly unsubscribe request (preferably in heroic couplet form). You may also request to add a consenting friend to the list, or even nominate a poem.

To learn more about National Poetry Month, or to subscribe to a more official-like Poem-a-Day list, visit www.poets.org.

Enjoy.
Ellen


"Samarai Song" by Robert Pinsky was featured again for Poem-a-Day April 3, 2009.
Poet Robert Pinsky was also featured for Poem-a-Day, March 25, 2011.

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