Ted Kooster Poet Laureate

ABC Wednesday
September 20th, 2017

The letter is K for Ted Kooster

Ted Kooster was born on April 25th, 1939

in Ames, Iowa

He worked for many years as Vice President

of an Insurance Firm,

writing his poetry in the mornings,

in the evenings,

and during his spare moments.

For two terms Poet Laureate in the United States,

a Pulitzer Prize Winner,

now he writes children's books,

is a Professor at the University of Nebraska,

and is Editor of a newspaper column

"American Life in Poetry"

which is carried in 150 newspapers

 throughout the country

as well as being distributed

by email,

and used in classrooms.

(From Wikipedia)

I have his book

"The Wheeling Year -

A Poet's Field Book"

in which he says about September

"One of our old neglected apple trees is so burdened with fruit this year that a limb has cracked, turned brown, and drapes, limp-wristed, bejewelled with apples that ripen, day after day, on those lifeless fingers.  This morning I noticed that hornets have come to set each garnet in golden filigree"

and he goes on to say, about September...

"Labor Day weekend, rainy and cool, and the second hatch of barn swallows are still in their nest under the eaves, three of them, downy and mewing, their beaks like buds just opening, while the rest of the swallows, an extended family of a dozen or more, including the year's first hatch, wheel round and round this axis, crying,  as if to unwind the invisible thread that holds them here, 

with winter coming".

A beautiful expression of a poet's awareness

it is well named

"A Poet's Field Guide"

Open it to any page and there is a vignette of life;

creative, imaginative, heart touching, sometimes poignant

and very beautiful.

For more expressions of the letter K visit

here at ABC Wednesday

with thanks to all who maintain this meme.