Reading “Time for Rivets” by Denise Levertov
Poetry Lunch S6E11
Reading “Time for Rivets” by Denise Levertov from Evening Train, New Directions.
//
If only we could rivet our hearts together and know that they’d hold! I love the staunch stoicism in this poem that’s able to accept another crack even though it was sure it wouldn’t come. There’s an honoring of life long lived and the knowing perspective that comes with it while allowing sudden big new feeling. Surrendering to it. Acknowledging the inevitable heartbreak that comes with living if you’re willing to keep living all of it. I mean all that keeps coming. All the terrible and the unexpected, big and small losses. May we at least have tape and fingers to cross while awaiting reinforcements!
//
Link to Purchase
Get the book: Evening Train by Denise Levertov, New Directions
//
About the Author
Denise Levertov lived and wrote from 1923 to 1997. During the course of a prolific career, she created a highly regarded body of poetry, including winning the Lannon Literary Award for Poetry. In addition to being a poet, Levertov taught her craft at several colleges and universities nationwide; she translated a number of works; she was poetry editor of the Nation; and she authored several collections of essays and criticism. You can read more about her life on her Poetry Foundation page here!
