Galway Kinnell: "Prayer"

Whatever happens. Whatever
what is is is what
I want. Only that. But that.


[Curator's note: Today, instead of a photograph, let's enjoy a video of the poet performing his poem, then offering a very brief comment. Though, on second thought, "performing" seems not the right word. "Praying," in his own way, perhaps? Or "delighting in his craft?" Watch Galway's face with care. All the way to the end.

If you can't see the embedded viewer below, click here to watch the clip, less than a minute long. Unfortunately the clip can't be embedded in this website to its full width, but Kinnell's presentation is still a treat.]

"Prayer" by Galway Kinnell, from A New Selected Poems, Edited by S. M. Intrator and M. Scribner. © HarperCollins Publishers, 1995.

Video credit: Poetry Matters Now.