Poetry News

Reading Anselm Hollo’s Poem ‘Webern’

By Harriet Staff

We are thinking fondly today about Anselm Hollo, who is currently fighting hard against post-operative pneumonia and other complications. Pierre Joris posted Hollo’s poem “Webern” on his Nomadics blog this weekend: “This morning, thinking of old friend Anselm Hollo now in hospice, I read into MAYA, that gorgeous 1970 Cape Golliard book of his, gathering poems from 1959 to 1969.” Here’s the first stanza; please see the original post for the full poem.

w e b e r n

1

switch off the light
the trees stand together

easier then
to be in our bodies

growing quietly
‘dem tode entgegen’

slow it is
a slow business

to grow a few words
to say love

Tags: Anselm Hollo
Posted in Poetry News on Monday, January 14th, 2013 by Harriet Staff.