Famous Readying Poems by Famous Poets

These are examples of famous Readying poems written by some of the greatest and most-well-known modern and classical poets. PoetrySoup is a great educational poetry resource of famous readying poems. These examples illustrate what a famous readying poem looks like and its form, scheme, or style (where appropriate).

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Dream Song 64: Supreme my holdings greater yet my need

by John Berryman
 Supreme my holdings, greater yet my need,
thoughtless I go out. Dawn. Have I my cig's,
my flaskie O,
O crystal cock,-”my kneel has gone to seed,-”
and anybody's blessing? (Blast the MIGs
for making funble so

my tardy readying.) Yes, utter' that.
Anybody's blessing? -”Mr Bones,
you makes too much
démand. I might be 'fording you a hat:
it gonna rain. -”I knew a one of groans
& greed...Read more of this...

I Only Am Escaped Alone to Tell Thee

by Howard Nemerov
 I tell you that I see her still
At the dark entrance of the hall.
One gas lamp burning near her shoulder 
Shone also from her other side
Where hung the long inaccurate glass
Whose pictures were as troubled water.
An immense shadow had its hand
Between us on the floor, and seemed 
To hump the knuckles nervously, 
A giant crab readying to walk, 
Or...Read more of this...

Beach Glass

by Amy Clampitt
 While you walk the water's edge,
turning over concepts
I can't envision, the honking buoy
serves notice that at any time
the wind may change,
the reef-bell clatters
its treble monotone, deaf as Cassandra
to any note but warning. The ocean,
cumbered by no business more urgent 
than keeping open old accounts
that never balanced,
goes on shuffling its millenniums
of quartz, granite, and basalt.
 It behaves
toward the permutations of...Read more of this...

A Spell before Winter

by Howard Nemerov
 After the red leaf and the gold have gone,
Brought down by the wind, then by hammering rain
Bruised and discolored, when October's flame
Goes blue to guttering in the cusp, this land
Sinks deeper into silence, darker into shade.
There is a knowledge in the look of things,
The old hills hunch before the north wind blows.

Now I can see certain simplicities
In the darkening...Read more of this...

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