If The Sky Falls They Shall Have

Roberto Calasso's Survey Of The Renewed Interest In Myth Demonstrates How Decisive The Gods' Influence Was On Modern Literature. Calasso Is Not Only Immensely Learned; He Is One Of The Most Original Thinkers And Writers We Have Today.

I Do Believe That A Poem Needs To Remind The Reader Of His Or Her Own Humanity, Of What They Are, Of What They're Capable Of. Awaken Them, In A Sense, To The Fact That There's A World In Front Of Their Eyes, That They Have A Body, They're Going To Die, The Sky Is Beautiful, It's Fun To Be In A Grassy Field When The Sun Is Shining—those Kinds Of Things.

Poetry Is An Orphan Of Silence. The Words Never Quite Equal The Experience Behind Them.

A Poem Is An Invitation To A Voyage. As In Life, We Travel To See Fresh Sights.

The Religion Of The Short Poem, In Every Age And In Every Literature, Has A Single Commandment: Less Is Always More. The Short Poem Rejects Preamble And Summary. It's About All And Everything, The Metaphysics Of A Few Words Surrounded By Much Silence. …the Short Poem Is A Match Flaring Up In A Dark Universe.