It's Edna St. Vincent Millay's birthday. I looked around through her stuff, and I posted this at the library in her honor:
TO what purpose, April, do you return again?
Beauty is not enough.
You can no longer quiet me with the redness
Of little leaves opening stickily.
I know what I know.
The sun is hot on my neck as I observe
The spikes of the crocus.
The smell of the earth is good.
It is apparent that there is no death.
But what does that signify?
Not only under ground are the brains of men
Eaten by maggots.
Life in itself
Is nothing,
An empty cup, a flight of uncarpeted stairs.
It is not enough that yearly, down this hill,
April
Comes like an idiot, babbling and strewing flowers.
i had nno idea it was her birthday. She's one of my fave. poets. so badass.
Posted by: steve | 22 February 2005 at 09:18 PM
I know. I wanted to check out Savage Beauty (the newest of the many ESVM biographies), but a patron beat me to it. That's what I get for displaying it prominantly. Sigh. The life of a librarian is so hard.
Posted by: leila | 23 February 2005 at 10:12 AM