[Editor: Raymond Carver is among the greatest American writers of the twentieth century. If you’ve seen the movie Birdman which won the Oscar for Best Picture this year, the play performed in it is adapted from a Raymond Carver short story. This is his poem about grieving.]
Woke up early this morning and from my bed
looked far across the Strait to see
a small boat moving through the choppy water,
a single running light on. Remembered
my friend who used to shout
his dead wife’s name from hilltops
around Perugia. Who set a plate
for her at his simple table long after
she was gone. And opened the windows
so she could have fresh air. Such display
I found embarrassing. So did his other
friends. I couldn’t see it.
Not until this morning.
Raymond Carver
All of Us, The Collected Poems
Vintage Books
