Looking Backwards: Poetry and the Pull of Past

Abstract

Abstract:The writer's past is something like his own skin: he's got it and can't really do very much about it. Bleaches, creams, and other beautifiers don't help very much; and he certainly can't shed it every spring--unlike the snake, unfortunately. Indeed, it would be madness to hope to do very much about his past, which would be something like crying over spilled milk. What is more important is what he is going to do with it.