Linda Pastan, poet laureate of Maryland from 1991 to 1995, has published 10 volumes of poetry. Her most recent collection is Carnival Evening: New and Selected Poems. She lives in Potomac, Maryland.
The poem below shows Linda Pastan's versatility. Equally adept at writing about nature, writing, or sports, Pastan has a variety of interests and talents. I find it fitting that this sports fan was honored with her very own Linda Pastan baseball card a few years ago. "Poet Cards" feature 15 or so famous poets, both living and dead. Pastan rightfully joined the ranks of Langston Hughes, William Carlos Williams, Emily Dickinson, T.S. Eliot, and Sylvia Plath when her picture--and stats on the back--came out on the card. The card hangs in my classroom.
"To the Field Goal Kicker in a Slump"
It must be something
like writer's block,
when nothing will go
between the margins,
when language won't soar
high enough,
when you wake
in the morning and know
you've chosen
the wrong game. |
