Nick Flynn’s ‘fire’

I heard this striking poem this morning on the Poem-a-Day podcast. The poem, as Flynn states in his intro, creates a clash of perspectives that ultimately creates a single consciousness — which is something I’ve been striving for of late in my own work.

You can read the poem here, but I suggest also listening to the podcast (there is an audio player at the top of the poem) — Flynn’s voice adds to the poem, expands it in a way that I don’t think I can describe.

And then read the rest of his work on the Poetry Foundation site. He has one of the more compelling voices out there today.

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Author: hankkalet

Hank Kalet is a poet and freelance journalist. He is the economic needs reporter for NJ Spotlight, teaches journalism at Rutgers University and writing at Middlesex County College and Brookdale Community College. He writes a semi-monthly column for the Progressive Populist. He is a lifelong fan of the New York Mets and New York Knicks, drinks too much coffee and attends as many Bruce Springsteen concerts as his meager finances will allow. He lives in South Brunswick with his wife Annie. View all posts by hankkalet