Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, THEY ACCUSE ME OF NOT TALKING, by HAYDEN CARRUTH



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Classic and Contemporary Poetry

THEY ACCUSE ME OF NOT TALKING, by                 Poet Analysis     Poet's Biography
First Line: North people known for silence. Long
Last Line: And the relentless futility of the real?
Subject(s): Eskimos; Native Americans; Inuit; Indians Of America; American Indians; Indians Of South America


North people known for silence. Long
dark of winter. Norrland families go
months without talking, Eskimos also,
except bursts of sporadic eerie song.
South people different. Right and wrong
all crystal there and they squabble, no
fears, though they praise north silence. "Ho,"
they say, "look at them deep thinkers, them strong
philosophical types, men of peace."
But take
notice please of what happens. Winter on the brain.
You're literate, so words are what you feel.
Then you're struck dumb. To which love can you speak
the words that mean dying and going insane
and the relentless futility of the real?


Used with the permission of Copper Canyon Press, P.O. Box 271, Port Townsend, WA
98368-0271, www.cc.press.org




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