Poetry Founded in 1912 by Harriet Monroe
Home
Magazine
Web Exclusive
Letters
Books
About


Featured Poem
Rule


Kay Ryan is the 2004 winner of the Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize. Her sixth book of poems is Say Uncle (Grove Press, 2000).

Email a friend >>
Printable version >>
Tenderness and Rot
by Kay Ryan

Tenderness and rot
share a border.
And rot is an
aggressive neighbor
whose iridescence
keeps creeping over.

No lessons
can be drawn
from this however.

One is not
two countries.
One is not meat
corrupting.

It is important
to stay sweet
and loving.

 
Current Issue
Past Issues
Historical Index
Past Issues

 SEARCH
 
 

 Copyright © The Poetry Foundation    Privacy Policy/Terms of Use    Contact