Category Archives: poems

Poem for January: “Egg”

Posted on January 8, 2017 by nancohen

As I’ve mentioned, most of the poems in Unfinished City began as responses to the parashot, the weekly portions into which Jews divide the first five books of the Bible.  It’s easy to see where some of them came from—the … Continue reading →

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As It Ought to Be

Posted on April 23, 2016 by nancohen

Today, the website As It Ought to Be is featuring my poem “A Newborn Girl at Passover” in their Saturday Poetry Series.

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Prince, 1958-2016

Posted on April 21, 2016 by nancohen

Six years ago, in a brief tribute to the poet Ai, I tried to put into words my sense of the way an artist’s work transforms when the artist’s life is over, and quoted Bishop’s elegy for Lowell: “Sad friend, you … Continue reading →

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“So thou through windows of thine age shalt see…”

Posted on September 14, 2014 by nancohen

It’s 104 degrees outside right now, and the air conditioning is not able to keep up–this afternoon the interior temperature has risen from 78 to 85 over the last few hours.  Our fingers are crossed for the system to hold up … Continue reading →

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The Door Was Open and the House Was Dark (Seamus Heaney, 1939-2013)

Posted on September 1, 2013 by nancohen

“The Door Was Open and the House Was Dark” (from Granta) shows you how good even the minor poems of a tremendous poet can be.

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Catching up

Posted on March 21, 2013 by nancohen

Random bullets of not having posted on the blog in months (RBONHPOTBIM): My poem “The Fear of the Dark” appeared on Slate a few weeks ago. (Wow!) We’re busy receiving and reading applications for the Napa Valley Writers’ Conference.  We … Continue reading →

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“Storm” in The New Republic

Posted on January 5, 2013 by nancohen

My poem “Storm” appeared in the December 31, 2012, issue of The New Republic, embedded in Paul Starr’s review of The Signal and the Noise, by Nate Silver. Other poems in the issue: Benjamin Glassman’s “Sentimental Death Text Variation” and Allison Lemnos’ “Waiting … Continue reading →

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Adrienne Rich, 1929-2012

Posted on March 29, 2012 by nancohen

Adrienne Rich was a great writer, a great woman, and she changed the landscape of American poetry.  Now that her great voice has finished speaking new words, we will hear anew what was, and is, so necessary about her work. … Continue reading →

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Cemetery visit

Posted on September 9, 2011 by nancohen

The month before Rosh Hashanah is a traditional time for visiting the graves of our loved ones.  All four of my grandparents are buried in Baltimore, so I’m making those visits only in my thoughts.  Here’s a poem about placing … Continue reading →

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