Saturday, February 29, 2020
Lisel Mueller–A Bulwark Against Barbarism
Lisel Mueller––A Bulwark Against Barbarism
She was above all
elegant, precise.
She was the observer
who saw what the others missed,
or forgot,
or felt was of no importance.
Hers was the subtle voice,
the delicate perception,
the angle that many
ignored.
Though her sensibility was honed
in the furnace of twentieth century
violence, her poems
focused on the personal
insight, the close perception,
the undeniable revelation,
a painting with significant
undertones,
the music with evident nuance.
She avoided certain controversial
positions––feminism, patriarchal deficiencies,
the egregious tactics of certain males––
and thus became a darling
of male judges, critics, editors.
Still, her work was worthy
of the highest acclaim,
a model for the less famous,
a standard for the rest.
She took us where we had not been,
delivered us into unexplored territory,
made us feel wiser, more knowing,
more human.
Dorothy Walters
February 28
She was above all
elegant, precise.
She was the observer
who saw what the others missed,
or forgot,
or felt was of no importance.
Hers was the subtle voice,
the delicate perception,
the angle that many
ignored.
Though her sensibility was honed
in the furnace of twentieth century
violence, her poems
focused on the personal
insight, the close perception,
the undeniable revelation,
a painting with significant
undertones,
the music with evident nuance.
She avoided certain controversial
positions––feminism, patriarchal deficiencies,
the egregious tactics of certain males––
and thus became a darling
of male judges, critics, editors.
Still, her work was worthy
of the highest acclaim,
a model for the less famous,
a standard for the rest.
She took us where we had not been,
delivered us into unexplored territory,
made us feel wiser, more knowing,
more human.
Dorothy Walters
February 28
