To Be Alive by Gregory Orr
To Be Alive
Gregory OrrTo be alive: not just the carcass
But the spark.
That’s crudely put, but…
If we’re not supposed to dance,
Why all this music?
KEEP READING
SHARED WITH GRATITUDE
This poem appeared in Concerning the Book That Is the Body Of the Beloved by Gregory Orr, published by Copper Canyon Press, 2005. (Available direct from Copper Canyon Press • Also on: Amazon • Bookshop)
DESCRIPTION
““The heart of Orr’s poetry, now as ever, is the enigmatic image . . . mystical, carnal, reflective, wry.”—San Francisco Review
This book-length sequence of ecstatic, visionary lyrics recalls Rumi in its search for the beloved and its passionate belief in the healing qualities of art and beauty.
Concerning the Book that is the Body of the Beloved is an incantatory celebration of the “Book,” an imaginary and self-gathering anthology of all the lyrics—both poems and songs—ever written. Each poem highlights a distinct aspect of the human condition, and together the poems explore love, loss, restoration, the beauty of the world, the beauty of the beloved, and the mystery of poetry. The purpose and power of the Book is to help us live by reconnecting us to the world and to our emotional lives.” (Source)
ABOUT GREGORY ORR
Gregory Orr was born in Albany, New York, in 1947, and grew up in the rural Hudson Valley. He received a BA degree from Antioch College in 1969 and an MFA from Columbia University in 1972. Orr is the author of more than ten collections of poetry, including River Inside the River: Poems (W. W. Norton, 2013); How Beautiful the Beloved (Copper Canyon Press, 2009); Concerning the Book that is the Body of the Beloved (Copper Canyon Press, 2005); and The Caged Owl: New and Selected… (more)
Read more poems by Gregory Orr • Find books by this poet on Amazon • Bookshop • Website • Or view my library
ENDNOTES
- Explore other works in pursuit of: joy • life • wonder • Or browse the index
- If this work resonates with you, please consider supporting the archive. Thank you for reading.
