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| Winfield Townley Scott Photo: © Rosalie Thorne McKenna FoundationCourtesy Center for Creative Photography, The University of Arizona |
USES OF POETRY
Love poems they read
Were work of an aging man
Alone and celibate
Who published them in joy
Of his craftsman’s skill,
How they folded into each other.
Many a lust-starched boy
Read them aloud to his girl
Till her widening eyes darkened
Till her breath trembled thin
Till the boy threw down the book
And they folded into each other.
Joseph Hutchison, Colorado Poet Laureate 2014-2019, has published 20 collections of poems and edited or co-edited three poetry anthologies. He currently directs two master’s-level programs for University College at the University of Denver: Professional Creative Writing and Arts & Culture Management. Joe lives with his wife, Melody Madonna, in the mountains southwest of Denver, Colorado, the city where he was born. 
So true!
How ironic. But, the objective experience of the old man accounts for the depth and truth that would otherwise be lacking in the young lovers' words. It's fitting realy.