(no subject)

I was going to post some Cavafy, but it turns out my copy is in the office. So I looked around for something else and settled on Rexroth; I was thinking of "Homer in Basic" (Glitter of Nausicaa's/Embroideries, flashing arms,/And heavy-hung maiden hair;/Doing the laundry, the wind/Brisk in the bright air/Of the Mediterranean day...) but happened upon this first. It was written in 1944 and suggests that the ability of poets to be pessimistic about the future knows no reasonable limit; it also has a nice encapsulation of Tacitus.

( Gas or Novocain )

I find it irrationally cheering that Rexroth could be that bitter; this poem makes me want to jump up and down and wave my arms and shout "Neener neener! Still here!"

Also, I'm leaving for England this evening; I'll update when I can.