Stubborn: Poems

I have much to say about Professor Flint, since that is how I knew him first, as my professor of poetry at Georgetown University circa 1980. He writes in a breezy, easy style, imbuing his words with intonations as if he himself were reading them to you as your eyes fly by each line. "Stubborn" is the highlight of the book as it recalls his son Ethan's death through a chance encounter with a child. I won't spoil the rest as you need to read it yourself to see the drama unfold. "A Certain Slant" evokes innocence of the young, reminds me of my days at GU; I can see the trio in the poem as if it were yesterday. Every poem is beautifully rendered. His themes are universal, though deeply personal- the death of his son, his wife, his daughter (the surviving twin), his mother, etc. I wish I knew him better when he taught me but I was just a mere child in the world. But I did revere him and his class- Five American Poets. What a tragic loss when he died a few years ago.