I wouldn’t write at all if it weren’t for myriad writers
before me whose works showed me what was possible. The poems of this series are
small offerings of respect, of thanks, to those muses.
Richard Brautigan
Grocery stores
and bait shops
in Montana
though not Oregon
or California
sold your books
to curious tourists.
- Brian Beatty
- - - -
Brian's most recent collections of poetry are Dust and Stars: Miniatures and Brazil, Indiana. Don't miss Brian's columns on the great poets: insert your email address in the "Follow By Email" box to the right of this article and you'll be notified every time a new article appears.
It's occurred to me, belatedly, that this series will expose me for the thief I've been.
ReplyDeleteThat said, I would be curious to know what predecessors other writers consider their most consistent inspirations. Everybody's stolen from somebody. How about you?