Mark Doty is a contemporary American poet who is regarded as one of the most important poets of his generation. He was born in Maryville, Tennessee, and attended Drake University and Goddard College. He won the National Book Award for Poetry.
‘Brilliance’ by Mark Doty describes a dying man who wants to control his own life. He eventually opens himself up to new experiences.
Maggie’s taking care of a man
who’s dying; he’s attended to everything,
said goodbye to his parents,
Mark Doty’s ‘Bill’s Story’ appears in his best-known poetry collection My Alexandria (1993). This poem is about the death of a speaker’s sister suffering from dementia and AIDS.