Wednesday, June 5, 2013

THE WORDS SURVIVE

Hectic couple of days, but tonight had a chance to attend most of a memorial for poet and friend Anselm Hollo and got to hear great tributes from his first wife Josie, who I hadn't seen in many decades, and his second and last wife and caretaker to the end, Jane, and Anselm's and my good friend, poet Simon Pettet, as well as other friends like Bill Berkson. [And earlier seeing poet and old friend John Godfrey, etc. a full evening.]

I had to leave to get back to Jersey, exhausted from a few days of challenges, but it was great to see the memorial at The Poetry Project at St. Mark's crowded with old friends of Anselm's or ex-students of his, as well as just plain fans.

A lot of what was great about him was mentioned, but the best thing about a friend who leaves the legacy of his books behind is you get to hear his words transmitted through your own mind's voice anytime you read in one of them. I have book shelves full of the voices of old friends. How lucky.

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