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.
My mother never forgave my father
for killing himself,
especially at such an awkward time
and in a public park,
‘Father and Son’ is a touching expression of a child’s longing for the presence of his deceased father in his life. The poem honors the author’s father and prompts readers to cherish their relationships with loved ones.
Now in the suburbs and the falling light
I followed him, and now down sandy road
Whiter than bone-dust, through the sweet
Curdle of fields, where the plums
The meditative tone of ‘The Layers’ provides the reader with an atmosphere in which to contemplate their own life. Kunitz
‘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.