where lies...

the soul of a country?

i just discovered the following poem in an "ode to denver" piece by alan prendergast, my favorite journalist for denver's westword and husband of a former DPL coworker. check it out:

High treason

I do not love my country. Its abstract splendor
is beyond my grasp.
But (although it sounds bad) I would give my life
for ten places in it, for certain people,
seaports, pinewoods, fortresses,
a run-down city, gray, grotesque,
various figures from its history
mountains
(and three or four rivers).

José Emilio Pacheco

wow, i really love that. it looks like his published works are fairly difficult to get ahold of, but there are some sites out there with a few translated poems on them. check out this one, and read the bleak and dramatic "the elements of the night" while you're at it.

link o' the day:

i'm quoted in an article from today's steamboat pilot.