Original poem reprinted online here: "Traveling Through The Dark" by William Stafford Originally read: February 17, 2013 More information about the Poet: William Stafford I remember reading this poem a long time ago, and I didn't know what it meant. I looked straight at the narrative about a guy dumping off a still born into the river -- saving it from a harsh life. The images are nice and describe the tension of the decision. Yes, the poem means this. Past me even wrote this down to reaffirm my beliefs. Now though, I'm looking at this poem differently. First, the poem has the form of a sonnet, but not the rhyme scheme or the meter. This adds to the incompleteness of the poem but some semblance of form is there -- form: something to reattain or discard. Second, William Stafford, for a time, was considered in the Deep Image school of poetry with the likes of Robert Bly, Galway Kinnell, Louise Simpson, James Wright (I think these are poets all from the...
Formerly the RetailMFA, This is the Poetry Blog of Darrell Dela Cruz