From Poems of New York Everyman’s Library Pocket Press

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(no title) – *

I found this poem in a volume of New York poetry and it called to me. I saved it to this blog and kept it in draft mode, as I have issues with my own writing;  now and again I suffer from periods of drought and distraction. I’ve been feeling stressed and pressured by a manuscript deadline. I am not a procrastinator and yet I am procrastinating.
I will get it done.

I knew little about Thomas Disch until this morning when I decided to use this poem for Poetry Wednesday. I am saddened. I had wondered why he died so relatively young, and was unable to find out when I searched last month. Google can be funny and ignore your requests, then five minutes later or a week passes and there is a deluge of information that appears.

Now I know.

Thomas M. Disch was a science fiction writer and a poet, (born in Des moines, Iowa), who lived in my city, not far from where I grew up and walked the streets, not far from where I drove by Sunday night, coming home from the theater. He appears to have been a rather prolific award-winning writer.

It was reported that he was depressed about the passing of his partner, Charles Naylor, and was worried about being evicted from his rent-controlled apartment. He died by his own hand.

I suppose this was a post-9/11 poem, but maybe not. Maybe it is just a poem of hope after personal depair, a poem of survival, a momentary snapshot of New York City where life goes on and on.
A place where sadness can hide.

In Praise of New York
Thomas M. Disch 1940-2008  

As we rise above it, row after row
Of lights reveal the incredible size
Of our loss. An ideal commonwealth
Would be no otherwise,
For we can no more legislate
Against the causes of unhappiness,
Such as death or impotence or times
When no one notices,
than we can abolish the second law
Of thermodynamics, which states
that all energy, without exception, is wasted.
Still, under certain conditions
It is impossible to move
To a slightly nicer
Neighborhood. Or if not,
Then at least there is usually someone
To talk to, or a library
That stays open till nine.
And any night you can see Times Square
Tremulous with its busloads
Of tourists who are seeing all of this
For the first time
Before they are flown
Back to the republic of Azerbaidzhan
On the shore of the Caspian,
Where for weeks they will dream of our faces
Drenched with an unbelievable light.

   Link back to Laurita’s page, where you can find more great poetry.
She’s one terriffic hostess!

reply starfishred wrote on Jan 6, ’09 big citys have so many places for sadness to hide a great poem

reply billatplay wrote on Jan 6, ’09 Was this guy sad or what? Thermodynamics is dominated by Boyles and Charles. Energy can neither be created or destroyed. OK, so he despairs with his city of light but it is the people that make New York. The people. Thriving, driving people. Mankind.

reply eccentricmare wrote on Jan 6, ’09 I love it. Lights up the synapses. I’ll have to research some more to keep up – but the depths of the descriptions so eloquently simply displayed speak volumes to me. What a great find!

reply sanssouciblogs wrote on Jan 6, ’09 Thanks, Kaz, I am glad you found this a worthwhile read. Happy New Year!

editdeletereply lauritasita wrote on Jan 6, ’09, edited on Jan 6, ’09 starfishred said big citys have so many places for sadness to hide I guess you could call this poem a “slice of life” for people who are familiar with a depressing life in the big city. Great poem.

reply darlene57 wrote on Jan 6, ’09 I see that the writer is sad. Sad because I believe he feels stuck in the depths of a big city, he would rather move on and get out, possibly to the Caspian Sea??~smilies~d~

reply brian51 wrote on Jan 6, ’09 There is no despair like feeling alone in a crowd of people.

reply oceanlady53 wrote on Jan 6, ’09 Newyork,lovely….most is true…We love goo dpoems,sad or no tso wonderful….artist too sad…mental so brilliant too…Ilove your wonderful blog Sis….beautiful work…beautiful person ILove Newyork always…..

reply vickiecollins wrote on Jan 6, ’09 It certainly sounds more like personal sorrow to me…very sad.

reply watersong wrote on Jan 6, ’09 I think there is indeed a hidden tribute to NYC, where faces are drenched with an unbelievable light albeit from neon or streetlights.  the city that never sleeps…..I did not find this unduly sad.

reply sweetpotatoqueen wrote on Jan 6, ’09, edited on Jan 6, ’09 This is a wonderful piece of writing! It is so realistic that places of such culture and energy as New York can also be incredibly isolating  for those who are part of it. There is a light that shines from this jewel of an American city,but this light also can be representative of individual loss and unhappiness of people who call the city home. This poet has a knack for describing the sense of sadness that prompted this poem. Always great to be introduced to new authors. Sue..you will get your mojo back regarding your publishing objective. Look at your tarot cards my dear…there is something weird going on lately that seems to be global! MWAH!

reply sylvie1 wrote on Jan 7, ’09 cynical sadness … the tourists may have noticed and gone home never to want to think of those faces again … but this is a thought provoking write, and interesting as well. http://sylvie1.multiply.com/journal/item/732/POETRY_WEDNESDAY_…_WINTER_ARRIVES

reply jadedruid wrote on Jan 7, ’09 I feel the city and it’s lights over whelmed him. This is a great find. It’s a shame he took his own life, it was a loss to all.

reply bostonsdandd wrote on Jan 7, ’09 First, love the soundtrack! Really brought something to the poem with it playing in the background. Was he sad or just “okay”, for the lack of a better word :os, with the things in his life? It seems like he knew he couldn’t escape life in any other form than the way he took. He was depressed about being alone, but didn’t realize, with that many people in New York, he couldn’t be alone. OR was the the thought behind it all. Knowing he couldn’t be alone and grieve the way he wanted too? LOL Such thought from this one ;o). Thanks for sharing it with us.

reply fluffyj wrote on Jan 7, ’09 So sad that he felt the emptiness and saw the light from the purview of others, without the ability to find it in himself.  Kerries’s choice is equally difficult to fathom.  A powerful piece wonderfully emphasized with the soundtrack.  Sirens have such an empty, mornful sound.  The perfect accent.  -janeen

reply sugarpiehuny wrote on Jan 7, ’09 He describes the city that I see… but then I lost my daughter to Manhattan and I much preferred Paris.  I love to visit, it has so much to offer but I’d not want to live there again.

reply forgetmenot525 wrote on Jan 8, ’09 Its as if he is seeing the City and every thing that goes on within the city ……………but somehow he’s not part of it, he remains outside of it all………he must have been a very lonely man to feel like this.

reply gilesy01 wrote on Jan 9, ’09 Poor devil.