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Quote by Kay Ryan

“Action creates/a taste/for itself.”

Quote by Kay Ryan

Book:The Best of It: New and Selected Poems

Work

The Best of It: New and Selected Poems

This volume showcases a selection of poems that span the author's career, offering readers a glimpse into their poetic style and thematic concerns. more

Author

Kay Ryan is a renowned American contemporary poet, born on September 21, 1945. Her poetry is known for its simplicity and depth, and has been widely praised for its unique perspective and stylistic approach. She has received numerous literary awards and is considered an important figure in the American poetry scene. more

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“Folks with most to complain about seldom complain most.”

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“Um, dad?" I called "How's it going?" "Percy!" Annabeth whispered. "We're in a hurry!”

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“Forgetting takes space./Forgotten matters displace/as much anything else as/anything else. We must/skirt unlabeled crates/as thought it made sense/and take them when we go/to other states.”

Made Matter States Space Forget Forgotten Skirts

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“Be fearless. Have the courage to take risks. Go where there are no guarantees. Get out of your comfort zone even if it means being uncomfortable. The road less traveled is sometimes fraught with barricades bumps and uncharted terrain. But it is on that road where your character is truly tested And have the courage to accept that you’re not perfect nothing is and no one is — and that’s OK.”

“Gaps don't/just happen./There is a/generative element/inside them,/a welling motion/ as when cold/waters shoulder/up through/warmer oceans./And where gaps/choose to widen,/coordinates warp,/even in places/constant since/the oldest maps.”

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Book:The Best of It: New and Selected Poems

Source: The Best of It: New and Selected Poems

“Life's too short. I'm not!”

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Book:A Little Bit Wicked: Life, Love, and Faith in Stages

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“If we have not struggled/as hard as we can/at our strongest/how will we sense/the shape of our losses/or know what sustains/us longest or name/what change costs us,/saying how strange/it is that one sector/of the self can step in/for another in trouble,/how loss activates/a latent double, how/we can feed/as upon nectar/upon need?”

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Book:Say Uncle: Poems

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“A too closely watched flower/blossoms the wrong color./Excess attention to the jonquil/turns it gentian. Flowers/need it tranquil to get/their hues right. Some/only open at midnight.”

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Book:Say Uncle: Poems

Source: Say Uncle: Poems

“The thing that most haunted me that day, however...was the fact that these things had - apparently - actually occurred...For all his attention to my historical education, my father had neglected to tell me this: history's terrible moments were real. I understand now, decades later, that he could never have told me. Only history itself can convince you of such a truth. And once you've seen that truth - really seen it - you can't look away.”

Looks Real Moments Facts Father Attention Terrible Historical Decades Convince Neglected

Author:Elizabeth Kostova

“We did all the standard camp numbers: "Down By The Aegean," "I Am My Own Great-Great-Great-Great Grandpa," "This Land is Minos's Land.”

My Own Numbers Land Standards Camps Grandpa Great Grandpa

Book:The Sea of Monsters

Source: The Sea of Monsters