One must have a mind of winter
…
For the listener, who listens in the snow,
And, nothing himself, beholds
Nothing that is not there and the nothing that is.
- Wallace Stevens, “The Snow Man” (Harmonium, 1923)
Some things in the world have not already happened. That’s what Stevens refers to as “the nothing that is.” Think women in burqas who have nothing to hide. Think gays and lesbians, as children, dreaming of flying F-16’s. Think bisexual Marines, and transgender people registering to become adoptive parents. Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell is history. But tell that to the women of Egypt, Bahrain, and Iran. They would like to take a stand now. Who is in the square? All of Egypt is in the square. The square is a window. It is a porous window. Little bits of heaven break off in the windstorm and shower us every winter. Doves are tweeting through the blizzard. We hear them through the glass ceiling…
Welcome to the Winter 2011 Issue of Untitled Country Review!
Scot
Scot Siegel, Editor
One of my favorite Stevens (or of all poetry) quotes ever :)
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