An old man whose black face
shines golden-brown as wet pebbles
under the streetlamp, is walking two mongrel dogs of dis-
proportionate size, in the rain,
in the relaxed early-evening avenue.
The small sleek one wants to stop,
docile to the imploring soul of the trashbasket,
but the young tall curly one
wants to walk on; the glistening sidewalkentices him to arcane happenings.
Increasing rain. The old bareheaded man
smiles and grumbles to himself.
The lights change: the avenue’s
endless nave echoes notes of
liturgical red. He drifts
between his dogs’ desires.
The three of them are enveloped –
turning now to go crosstown – in their
sense of each other, of pleasure,
of weather, of corners,
of leisurely tensions between them
and private silence.
JOHN PINDER III says
This was the first Levertov poem I fell in love with…back when I was taking a poetry course in 1970 taught by Irvin Ehrenpris at UVA. Most recently I’ve described it as my favorite dog walking poem, but when I first encountered it, I was touched by the lights turning “liturgical red” and filling the wet streets with that color. I’d intended to spend my life as an english teacher but ended up as a UCC pastor for 34 years. My next and continuing poetry love was entitled “The Layers” by Stanley Kunitz. That poem found me in my new calling(first church) near Cleveland Ohio and I’ve continued to share it even in retirement. I first read it in the UVA alumni magazine when Stanley visited UVA and chose “The Layers” to represent his poetry. Many times as a pastor I’ve shared poems Denise Levetov chose for a poetry retreat in Kirkridge PA that I attended in the late ’80’s (when pastor of the Federated Church in Rochester, VT.)
OZoFe.Com says
Hi JOHN PINDER III,
Thanks for sharing your comments about the poem, and by Denise Levertov.
Through sharing, you are a passionate enthusiast of poetry, which is a good thing.
I credit your sharing on the site, and hope you regularly visit the website to see your favorite poems.