Bert Meyers

297 Pages·2010·0.88 MB·English

In a Dybbuk’s Raincoat
Mary Burritt Christiansen
Poetry Series
V. B. Price, Series Editor
Also available in the
University of New Mexico Press
Mary Burritt Christiansen
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In a
Dybbuk’s
Raincoat
Collected Poems
BERT MEYERS
edited by
Morton Marcus and Daniel Meyers
foreword by Morton Marcus
introduction by Denise Levertov
university of new mexico press
■
albuquerque
2007 by the University of New Mexico Press
All rights reserved. Published 2007
Printed in the United States of America
12 11 10 09 08 07 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Meyers, Bert, 1928–1979.
In a dybbuk’s raincoat : collected poems / Bert Meyers ;
edited by Morton Marcus and Daniel Meyers ;
foreword by Morton Marcus ;
introduction by Denise Levertov.
p. cm. — (Mary Burritt Christiansen poetry series)
Includes bibliographical references.
ISBN 978-0-8263-3787-0 (alk. paper)
I. Marcus, Morton. II. Meyers, Daniel, 1960– III. Title.
PS3525.E955I53 2007
811’.54—dc22
2006036511
All photos herein are family photos reproduced courtesy
of Daniel Meyers unless otherwise noted.
design and composition: Mina Yamashita
CONTENTS
Foreword by Morton Marcus / xiii
Introduction by Denise Levertov / xvii
COLLECTED POEMS
From Early Rain (Alan Swallow Press, 1960)
Because There’s So Much Speed / 3
In Those Mountains / 4
On the Hill / 5
The Cougar Has Been Shot / 6
Origin / 7
And, Sometimes It Seems / 8
Porcupine / 9
Once, in Autumn / 10
Before I Sleep / 11
The Death of a Lucky Man / 12
We Thank the Heart / 13
On a Summer Night / 14
At Night / 15
Legend / 16
I Took the Wild / 18
Rainy Day / 19
At My Window / 20
In the Alley / 21
My Parents / 22
The Garlic / 23
Picture Framing / 24
October Poem / 25
Evening on the Farm / 26
Now It’s Friday / 27
At Work / 28
A Short Speech to the Hungry / 29
This Morning / 30
viii ■ Contents
From The Dark Birds (Doubleday and Co., 1968)
The Dark Birds / 31
They Who Waste Me / 32
Eichman / 33
Pigeons / 34
Madman Songs / 36
Gulls Have Come Again / 41
Funeral / 42
A Tree Stump at Noon / 43
The Accident / 44
Winter / 45
A Year in a Small Town / 46
Windy Night / 47
Sometimes / 48
Icon / 49
Lullaby / 50
One Morning / 51
The Curse / 52
The King at Evening / 53
The Poet / 54
Apprentice / 56
When She Sleeps / 57
From Any Hill / 58
Picture Framing / 59
Cigarette / 60
Follow the Child / 61
The Family / 62
A Child’s an Apple / 63
Now I Sleep in the Afternoon / 64
The Wanderer / 65
The Drive / 66
In the Yard / 67
Stars Climb Girders of Light / 68
Contents ■ ix
From Sunlight on the Wall (Kayak, 1976)
Foothills / 69
By the Sea / 70
L.A. / 71
G. F. / 72
A. C. / 73
O’Keeffe / 74
Jose / 75
Twilight at the Shop / 76
Next Door / 77
I Can’t Sleep / 78
Watercolor Days / 79
From The Wild Olive Tree
(West Coast Poetry Review, 1979)
Signature / 80
These Days / 81
Some Definitions at Work / 83
Landscapes / 85
Pebble / 88
Old / 89
Eviction / 90
A Citizen / 91
To My Enemies / 93
After the Meal / 94
All Around Me / 95
Pencil Sharpener / 97
Pliers / 98
The Old Engraver / 99
The Gilder / 100
Suburban Dusk / 101
Postcards / 102
The Return / 112
Homecoming / 113