By — Tom LeGro Tom LeGro By — Mary Jo Brooks Mary Jo Brooks Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/arts/weekly-poem-soul Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Weekly Poem: ‘Soul’ Arts Mar 4, 2013 10:00 AM EDT By David Ferry What am I doing inside this old man’s body? I feel like I’m the insides of a lobster, All thought, and all digestion, and pornographic Inquiry, and getting about, and bewilderment, And fear, avoidance of trouble, belief in what, God knows, vague memories of friends, and what They said last night, and seeing, outside of myself, From here inside myself, my waving claws Inconsequential, wavering, and my feelers Preternatural, trembling, with their amazing Troubling sensitivity to threat; And I’m aware of and embarrassed by my ways Of getting around, and my protective shell. Where is it that she I loved has gone to, as This cold sea water’s washing over my back? David Ferry is the author of several books of poetry and translations. His collection “Bewilderment” won last year’s National Book Award for poetry. A profile of Ferry will air soon on the NewsHour. Read more about him here. By — Tom LeGro Tom LeGro By — Mary Jo Brooks Mary Jo Brooks
By David Ferry What am I doing inside this old man’s body? I feel like I’m the insides of a lobster, All thought, and all digestion, and pornographic Inquiry, and getting about, and bewilderment, And fear, avoidance of trouble, belief in what, God knows, vague memories of friends, and what They said last night, and seeing, outside of myself, From here inside myself, my waving claws Inconsequential, wavering, and my feelers Preternatural, trembling, with their amazing Troubling sensitivity to threat; And I’m aware of and embarrassed by my ways Of getting around, and my protective shell. Where is it that she I loved has gone to, as This cold sea water’s washing over my back? David Ferry is the author of several books of poetry and translations. His collection “Bewilderment” won last year’s National Book Award for poetry. A profile of Ferry will air soon on the NewsHour. Read more about him here.