Interrogations at Noon

A very good friend from college sent me a wonderful house (apartment) warming gift:

…a book of poetry by Dana Gioia titled Interrogations at Noon. First heard him speak on the Mars Hill Audio Journal a few weeks ago. He’s extremely thoughtful and his poetry is amazing.

As much as I’d love to quote an entire poem (haven’t received permission to do so yet), I’ll merely excerpt from a couple:

Just before noon I often hear a voice,
Cool and insistent, whispering in my head.
It is the better man I might have been,
Who chronicles the life I’ve never led.

“Who is the person you pretend to be?”
He asks, “The failed saint, the simpering bore,
The pale connoisseur of spent desire,
The half-hearted hermit eyeing the door?”
— from Interrogations at Noon

In the above poem, the Imposter that John Eldredge talks about is so clear. He’s the guy in the back of my (our) head that sows seeds of doubt.

Whoever you are: step out of doors tonight,
Out of the room that lets you feel secure.
Infinity is open to your sight.
— from Entrance

I love the above poem, a kind of therapeutic answer to the previous poem. It’s a remedy, full of hope. The Imposter is defeated when we get outside of ourselves.

Go over to his site right now and read the entirety of some of his excellent poems.

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