This week, we’re going contemporary and memorizing “Duende” by Tracy K. Smith. It’s much longer than the Dorothy Parker poem from a few weeks ago, but we like a challenge, right?
Born in 1972, Smith has a prestigious resume, including a B.A. from Harvard and an MFA from Columbia University. Her book of poetry, Life on Mars, won the Pulitzer Prize for poetry in 2012.
Want to memorize it? Here it is!
Here’s my cat’s reaction to last week’s poem recitation:
3 replies on “Poetry Challenge: “Duende” by Tracy K. Smith”
I’m enjoying this more for the influx of poetry into my science-obsessed life than for the memorization, but I’m really glad it’s a thing! :)
I can still remember the mention about one or both lying from the previous poem, but that’s all I’ve got.
I think it’s okay to forget. For me, the point of this exercise isn’t to bring up a poem at parties, but to just have some fun language rattling around at the back of my head.