Frost Notes

Anthology

Peter Bethanis

 Peter Bethanis undertook has written several poems that remind him of "the simplicty and clarity in Frost's work."   This poem about Li Po earned him an honorable mention in the 2004 Robert Frost Award, judged by Andrea Cohen.

 Li Po's Reading 

A few gather.

Li Po reads like an old donkey

 pulling a cart.

Poems, wine.

A few fairies

peer from the forest.

Well-placed words

 disappear like snowflakes

 into an ocean.

For an hour or eternity

egos and possessions dissipate,

war and death recede.

His voice a pointing

not a direction

Li Po sails a poem

in a paper boat

down the river.

 aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

Note: Years ago in a bookstore I picked up an anthology called The White Pony, An Anthology of Chinese Poetry, edited by Robert Payne. I was struck speechless by the clarity, precision, and understated beauty of the poetry of  Li Po, Li Hua, Tu Fu, Po Chu-I, and dozens of other Chinese poets. Out of admiration for the simplicity of these ancient poets I've written several poems under their influence. In some ways, I think Frost also achieves this simplicity and clarity.

Peter Bethanis's poems have appeared in Poetry, Lullwater
Review, Tar River Poetry and over fifty literary journals. In 1995 he won the Eve of St Agnes Poetry Prize sponsored by Negative Capability and he has been a featured poet on Poetry magazine's website. In 2004, "Li Po's Reading" received an honorable mention in the Robert Frost Award. Bethanis is currently an Assistant Professor of English at Ball State University.

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 Poem copyright 2005 by Peter Bethanis..