Simplicity

Ruth Stone again and again gets directly to the heart of the cosmos, splitting open the common and revealing the complex meanings and truths in our world. Is her title "Simplicity" tongue in cheek? The poems are often deceptivly simple. You read one easily and are without realizing it, suddenly knocked off your feet by its meaning. Stones poems are not light, they are not frothy. Her work is as heavy as her name yet as comfortable to take in as lemonade on her Virginia porch in childhood. This is a poet who will be remembered and read well into the future.

I happen to be a student of Ruth Stone and it was interesting to finally read some of her work. Everyday she reads our work and tells us what she thinks and this was my opportunity to get the other perspective. I found it fascinating to be able to look into her life (I wanted to say "soul" but she hates that word). My favorites are "Plumbing" and "Nuns on the Bus". She is also a wonderful woman who is dear to my heart and has extremely influenced my poetry and life.