Realism

Realism

By Tom Clark b. 1941 Tom Clark
The smashed weirdness of the raving cadenzas of God
Takes over all of a sudden
In our time. It speaks through the voices of talk show moderators.

It tells us in a ringing anthem, like heavenly hosts uplifted,
That the rhapsody of the pastoral is out to lunch.
We can take it from there.

We can take it to Easy Street.
But when things get tough on Easy Street
What then? Is it time for realism?

And who are these guys on the bus
Who glide in golden hats past us
On their way to Kansas City?

Tom Clark, “Realism” from Light and Shade: New and Selected Poems. Copyright � 2006 by Tom Clark. Used with the permission of Coffee House Press, www.coffeehousepress.org.

Source: Sleepwalkers Fate: New and Selected Poems (1992)

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Poet Tom Clark b. 1941

POET’S REGION U.S., Western

SCHOOL / PERIOD New York School (2nd Generation)

Subjects Nature, Religion, Landscapes & Pastorals, God & the Divine

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Biography

Tom Clark has combined the diverse roles of poet, biographer, novelist, dramatist, reviewer, and sportswriter during his writing career. In addition to dozens of books of poetry, a play, two novels, two story collections, and numerous biographies of literary figures, Clark's works include a book co-written with star baseball pitcher Mark Fidrych, poems about such sports legends as Catfish Hunter, Vida Blue and Bert Campaneris, . . .

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Poems by Tom Clark

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SUBJECT Nature, Religion, Landscapes & Pastorals, God & the Divine

POET’S REGION U.S., Western

SCHOOL / PERIOD New York School (2nd Generation)

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Originally appeared in Poetry magazine.

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