A still from Chess Fever (1925)
What often invigorates me as a poet for children is to read and write poems for adults, and to study the prose of poets who write primarily for adults. In that spirit, I share with you Charles Simic’s short essay “Why I Still Write Poetry” posted yesterday at the blog of The New York Review of Books.
The kind of poems I write—mostly short and requiring endless tinkering—often recall for me games of chess. They depend for their success on word and image being placed in proper order and their endings must have the inevitability and surprise of an elegantly executed checkmate.
So inspiring, and so full of truth! I felt like I was reading about my high school years through someone else’s lens…I hope none of us lose that passion.