In pure affirmation that doesn't affirm anything

A ruler is pasted against the wall
to tell time by, but it's too late. The snow's
knack for seeking out and penetrating crevices
has finally become major news.
Let's drink to that, and the tenacity of just seeming.

*

A certain satisfaction
has been granted us. Sure, we keep coming back
for more -- that's part of the 'human' aspect
of the parade. And there are darker regions

penciled in, that we should explore some time.
For now, it's enough that this day is over.
It brought its load of freshness, dropped it off
and left. As for us, we're still here, aren't we?

John Ashbery, ese gigante exquisito de las letras estadounidenses, tiene un nuevo libro a los 77, Where Shall I Wander? El NY Times publica la pertinente reseña, "Mapping the Unconscious", y lo mejor de ella, como el propio crítico reconocería, son las citas. Babelia, por su parte, le dedicó un "Retrato cubista" a Ashbery hace tres semanas, y una entrevista hace once meses.