Fragments of My Fleece

The lyric poems of In Beauty Bright although marked by the same passion and swiftness as Gerald Sterns previous work move into an area of knowledgeeven wisdomthat reflects a long life of writing teaching and activism. They are poems of grief and anger but the music is delicate and moving.from In Beauty BrightIn beauty-bright and such it was like Blakeslily and though an angel he looked absurddragging a lily out of a beauty-bright storewrapped in tissue with a petal droopingnor was it uselessyou who know it knowhow useful it isand how he would be deadin a minute if he were to lose it thoughhow do you lose a lily?