Thursday, August 31, 2006

Billy Collins' poem, "The Lanyard"


Brian needed a guitar pick and Travis was reluctant to give up one of his 100+ guitar picks from his pirate box. I thought of Billy Collins' excellent poem, The Lanyard. I cannot read this poem aloud straight through without getting a little choked up. It's in his newest collection, The Trouble with Poetry and I believe he reads it on the show (accessible at http://writersonwriting.blogspot.com).

Billy continues to be one of my favorite poets and certainly one of my favorite radio show guests. He has the rare ability to be whimsical and moving about an item as seemingly simple as a lanyard.

Here is the lanyard Travis made for me.

1 comment:

Sharon Delman said...

I listened to your show with Billy Collins and was also quite moved by "The Lanyard." It's magical to hear an author read his work. When I clicked into your blog and saw the picture, I immediately thought of the poem and my own emotional reaction to it. Poetry is an amazing art; it truly strikes at the heart. Thank you for sharing!