Poetry News

X.J. Kennedy Mourns the Death of Lonesome George

By Harriet Staff

“Lonesome George,” the last remaining giant tortoise of his subspecies, died last Sunday. X.J. Kennedy, who visited Lonesome George during a trip to the Galápagos Islands in 2011, made the tortoise the subject of a recently-published poem in The Atlantic. Yesterday, the magazine posted a few words from Kennedy in memory of the ancient reptile:

With the news of George’s death, Kennedy said he feels “a sense of personal loss.” He also feels a connection to the now-extinct tortoise. “As a writer given to the old formalities of rhyme and meter, I sometimes feel endangered these days. But I’m glad that, unlike poor old George, whose line has come to a dead end, rhymed lines and printed books go on, in slightly better health.”

Full story here.

Tags: X.J. Kennedy
Posted in Poetry News on Wednesday, June 27th, 2012 by Harriet Staff.