Adrienne Rich, Influential Feminist Poet, Dies at 82 - NYTimes.com

Adrienne Rich, Influential Feminist Poet, Dies at 82 - NYTimes.com:

"I am here, the mermaid whose dark hair
streams black, the merman in his armored body
We circle silently about the wreck
we dive into the hold. ...
We are, I am, you are
by cowardice or courage
the one who find our way
back to the scene
carrying a knife, a camera
a book of myths
in which
our names do not appear."


I used the phrase Diving Into the Wreck as the lead in the title of my recent article about the BP Gulf Oil Spill.  Although the exploration of the law of compensation has nothing to do with the exploration of identity that made Adrienne Rich's 1974 title poem so powerful, I used the phrase to pay tribute to her, the author of one of the most evocative poems I have ever read. - GWC

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