☀ Today's Poem: "The Stone" Rebecca Foust

Today's Headline: "How Geoffrey Nutter Redefines Modern Creativity"

February 20, 2025 The Stone Rebecca Foust You called it a surgical abscission when I left, our years together sliced away with a sharp blade, almost brutally quick & clean. But for me it was more like drowning the chipmunk in the shiny tin pail of this October morning, the rain suspended like a sheer curtain between me & the sun. When I saw the small, soft nose poking out, then in, then out of the black plastic tunnel hiding the spring trap, I wanted to go back inside the warm cabin. I wanted to go back in time, before finding the trap, before it was set. I wanted to let nature & her wolves take their hungry course, & live on in ignorance or hope a severed spine might somehow heal on its own. Above all, I wanted someone else to decide. But, something about Virginia Woolf & the stones she put in her pockets before wading out into the Ouse & this creature right here, where I had to look, unable to move & in pain. The sun shimmered the rain into gauze, hung as if for extreme unction. I could not not-see it then, what had to be done & be done by me, alone. I had all I needed: the pail, & the pump to fill it with water. The stone was for mercy. from the journal THE SOUTHERN REVIEW READ ABOUT TODAY'S POEM Share Tweet Forward "How Geoffrey Nutter Redefines Modern Creativity" "While Nutter’s acclaim as a poet and educator was already well-established, his daughter Elaine introduced his work to a new audience through TikTok. Her videos, capturing glimpses of his daily life, highlight the richness and dedication of his poetic practice. Titles like 'A Glimpse of My Poet Dad’s Life' offer an intimate view of his world: writing, teaching, and finding inspiration in the rhythm of New York City. The response has been profound, with viewers expressing newfound interest in poetry and creative pursuits." viaK. MAGAZINE READ ALL TODAY'S HEADLINES What Sparks Poetry: Rowan Ricardo Phillips on Drafts "Each stage of the poem’s evolution reshaped its engagement with inherited forms. The invocation, the sound patterns, even the omission of forbidden—each choice was informed by an ongoing dialogue with Milton’s legacy. Yet through this recursive process, the poem became its own. The recursive act of writing allowed me to rework Milton’s themes of creation and rebellion through a contemporary lens, tracing a poetic lineage that spans from the epic tradition to the fractured rhythms of modern music." READ THIS WEEK'S ISSUE donate View in browser You have received this email because you submitted your email address at www.poems.com. If you would like to unsubscribe please click here. © 2025 Poetry Daily, Poetry Daily, MS 3E4, 4400 University Dr., Fairfax, VA 22030 Design by the Binding Agency

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