Courtesy of NPR

**see Xan’s post below:

From this morning’s NPR’s Weekend Edition - Saturday:

Donald Hall was named the United States’ 14th poet laureate Wednesday, but he’s not the only game in town. Later this month, James Monroe High School in the Bronx will honor its first ever poet laureate, Tiffany Otero.

The laureateship was made possible by alumni Peter Levitt, who graduated from James Monroe in 1964 and wants to encourage kids in his old neighborhood.

You need to listen to Tiffany read her own poems and you need to read her poetry online at NPR.

Why need?

She speaks volumes about public education, the democratic nature of talent, and the value of arts education.

Below the fold you’ll find a little marvel, as yet untitled.
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Untitled

Still Silent
Waiting to be of assistance,
The arch of its back,
The curve of the eyes.
Its shoulders stiff and erect.
Standing on its legs,
Wearing green cloth wrapped
In clear protection.
Its body is stiffened by its existence
It is absolutely still.
It has no voice nor thoughts.
The bars it bares behind it
which it will never see.
It is blind.
It is deaf.
Its body is cold and scared.
It has no particular attraction.
And yet men yearn for it.
the most interesting thing about it,
Is that you can never be sure
if I was talking about a chair
Or a woman.

Actually, you need to listen to the entire delightful segment - a conversation with poet Otero, poet Peter Levitt, and substitute host, John Insty, (which I probably don’t have to say I like rather better than Scott Simon, at least these days), and happily for you, the entire segment is online and can be listened to with ease; just click here, and then click on the “Listen” button provided there.