On an airplane flight, I happened to read this.

Some of the poems had the power to make me burst into laughter. There was this particular bit that I kept coming back to:

"A wave of Time hangs motionless on this particular shore.

I notice a tree, arsenical grey in the light, or the slow

Wheel of the stars, the Great Bear glittering colder than snow,

And remember there was something else I was hoping for."

The description in these lines is so vivid and captivating. It creates a mental image that lingers in my mind. The idea of Time being like a motionless wave on a shore is both profound and mysterious. The tree, with its arsenical grey color in the light, adds an element of strangeness and beauty. The mention of the slow wheel of the stars and the glittering Great Bear colder than snow further enhances the magical atmosphere. It makes me wonder what that "something else" was that the poet was hoping for.

Overall, this piece of writing has left a lasting impression on me, making my airplane flight a little more memorable.

Roethke initially embarked on his writing journey by penning enjoyable and exquisitely crafted nature poems. However, it seems that not long into his poetic career, he unfortunately got influenced by the absurdities of modernism. This should have potentially signaled the end of his promising path. But, as it often happens, the literati have a penchant for idolizing the so-called "naked emperor." From the middle of his second collection onwards, it has been nothing but mere nonsense. What a great pity it is. For a brief moment, I truly believed that I had finally discovered another outstanding poet, and an American at that. Alas, no such fortune. Another talented individual has been lost in the quagmire of modernist idiocies.

It is disheartening to witness such a transformation in a poet who showed such great promise in the beginning. One can't help but wonder what could have been if he had resisted the allure of modernism and continued to explore the beauty of nature through his poetry.

I love him. Don't you? This little collection is adorable too.

I love

"Heard in a Violent Ward".

In heaven, too, you'd be institutionalized. But that's all right,-- if they let you eat and swear with the likes of Blake, and Christopher Smart, and that sweet man, John Clare.

Yes, Roethke - I'd say: if they let you eat and swear with the likes of Plath, and Flo Nightingale, and that sweet, Ginny Woolf.

Love is such a powerful emotion. It can make us feel things we never thought possible. When I think of him, my heart fills with warmth and joy. And this collection of words, it's like a little piece of my soul.

The poem "Heard in a Violent Ward" takes us to a different place, a place where even in heaven, there are rules and institutions. But it also gives us hope that if we're with the right people, like Blake, Smart, and Clare, or Plath, Nightingale, and Woolf, then maybe it won't be so bad.

Roethke's words speak to me on a deep level. They make me think about what it means to be alive and to love. And they remind me that even in the darkest of times, there is always beauty and hope to be found.