The Portrait
by Stanley Kunitz
‘The Portrait’ by Stanley Kunitz is a sad poem about the speaker’s ill-fated attempt to learn more about their deceased father.
Stanely Kunitz was the 10th poet laureate of the United States, named as such in the fall of 2000. Throughout his career he won the Robert Frost Medal and the National Book Award. His collections include The Wild Braid: A Poet Reflects on a Century in the Garden and The Wellfleet Whale and Companion Poems.
‘The Portrait’ by Stanley Kunitz is a sad poem about the speaker’s ill-fated attempt to learn more about their deceased father.
‘Touch Me’ by Stanley Kunitz is a moving poem about aging, the loss of identity, and desire. It explores what keeps people, and creatures of all varieties, going as they enter the final “season” of their life.