Hank Lazer has published thirty-four books of poetry; his latest books are P I E C E S, When the Time Comes, and field recordings of mind in morning. In 2014, he retired from the University of Alabama after 37 years as a professor and an administrator. He continues to teach innovative seminars on Zen Buddhism and Radical Approaches to the Arts for the University’s Blount Scholars Program. In 2015, Lazer won The Harper Lee Award, Alabama’s highest literary award for lifetime achievement.
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Welcome to The Beat, Knox County Public Library’s poetry podcast. Today, we’ll hear Hank Lazer read two poems, “Duncan Farm November Meditation” and “The New Spirit, Section 8.”
Hank Lazer:
"Duncan Farm November Meditation"
1
what died with father
what died with mother
there was more i wanted to know
say again the names of distant places
russia lithuania ukraine
harbin yokohama san jose
tell it all now
invisible as you are
there was more
i wanted to hear
you are not your body
you are not your mind
who were you
& where do we come from
2
one by one
they go away
mystery repeats itself
the equal loneliness
of each soul
here & there
3
small dance of wind
from cedar to oak
mind & its own instants
this
is called thinking
sometimes
at play sometimes
answering to
an invisible
summoning
small dance of wind
beginning
with a distant
pine
4
wild wildly disordered as it happens clouds moment twisted
disappearing chronology of a human life ample in complexity
beyond any telling of it
why not a tree’s or a dog’s experience of time
what lies beyond the limits of our attention
sit with eyes open wide
5
who is with you
from all that was
6
piety kept quiet
& the clouds were revelation
this
is where it all appears
because
nothing in the whole world
is hidden
later that night he found
skunks
in the hay barn
yes
turn the light inward
7
he had the fire then & hardly anyone noticed that is the
nature of this exacting path so as you go it will shape you
as needed along the way self-pity & disappointment burn
away
hold the ember dear it is the given gem
8
farm at night
thin line
of dim light
along the horizon
like the implicit
gap between
blocks of color
in a Rothko painting
my oldest boykin Walt
buried nearby up the way
this morning halfway
up the hillside
just beyond
the cedar tree i find
a large silver wrench
some words
have nothing to do
with our five
or six senses
9
in & out of morning
clouds
i sit in the cross-hairs
of the window pane
10
his joy
was more than others
could accept
so too his sorrow
soon
it
will be light
each
has an instrument
idiosyncratic
played
or simply listened to
be still
& listen
Section 8 from the book The New Spirit
(in transit)
three little words teshuvah turn toward you no more
dramatic than this car moving in & out of
shadows i love you & i have chosen wrong
live with it three little words when the saints
when something great bags & trane in that number
turn & turn felt a sharp turn at 49
*
son at sea lab cut the squid open found
the ink sac
slowly we learn to work alone
& with each other
three little words
baruch atab
adonai
love what is
& where you are
take
dictation
or quit altogether
user pays connection fee
drove
south thinking about this or that lush southern sound
*
gateway i’m here shma yisroel adonai three word suite
hear o israel versus nervous be-bop soul attentive to
its own amusements play it loud lord our god
through whatever horn breathe & shape heavenly blue legacy
golden fall light drove me down the river delta
ghostly sax tilted back succession then when the saints
Alan May:
You just heard Hank Lazer read “Duncan Farm November Meditation” and “The New Spirit, Section 8.” He was kind enough to record these poems for us at his home in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Hank Lazer has published thirty-four books of poetry; his latest books are P I E C E S, When the Time Comes, and field recordings of mind in morning. In 2014, he retired from the University of Alabama after 37 years as a professor and an administrator. He continues to teach innovative seminars on Zen Buddhism and Radical Approaches to the Arts for the Blount Scholars Program. In 2015, Lazer won The Harper Lee Award, Alabama’s highest literary award for lifetime achievement. You can find Hank Lazer’s latest book, P I E C E S, in our online catalog. Also look for links in the show notes. Please join us next time for The Beat.
