Poet's Choice

Too sour, says another, making a face.

Each one is an instant gourmet,

and you stand listening to all this

in the corner, like a newly hired waiter,

your diffident, skilful hand on the wound hidden

deep in your shirt and chest,

shyly, heartless.

Emphasizing how much is at stake in true poetry, Atwood disdains genial reassurance. Her candid, funny, unsparing account of the art demonstrates its humanity.

(Margaret Atwood's poems "The poet has come back . . . " and "Heart" are from her book "The Door." Houghton Mifflin.

Copyright ¿ 2007 by O.W. Toad Ltd.)