Happy Birthday, John

John Hollander was born today in New York City in 1929. He is currently the Sterling Professor emeritus of English at Yale, and still writing (his most recent collection, A Draft of Light, was just published).


Another Firefly

In a turning instant, my head
Catches light of a leaping star
Over my left shoulder in a
Green region of space darkened,
Into distance beyond distance,
A cold, green star, not rising like
Sons and empires, slow as breath,
In the way of stars, but as no
Darkened water could have mirrored
The partly glimpsed meteor in
Surging reversal of falling ---
That sort of rising. They return
Bright rightings of our sinisters,
The mirrors; but this rise of light ---
As if in summer nights at still
Moments a death could yet retract,
Or a dim candle gutter on ---
Freshens the held air; far away,
Somewhere a breath has been taken.

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