On Hearing Voznesenski
Published in
Dec 23, 2021
on hearing Voznesenski
I heard a gong
and again a gong,
resounding long —
the sound of a hammer on a loose-held shield of bronze
They say the way he spoke
moved those who knew not
what he said.
He with the hammer,
me with the shield,
the short and bloodless battle left a long loud gong,
clear and strong.
The bronze still
quivers in my grasp.
(written Washington, DC, Silver Spring, MD, and on the train to Pennsylvania,
