‘The Distances’ by Charles Olsen present a complex, haunting meditation on the darker sides of love.
Charles Olson was a poet, an essayist, and an academic. He is noted for his experimental verse, his association with the Black Mountain school, and his critical and theoretical output. Olson first made a name for himself with Call Me Ismahel (1947), a study of Moby Dick, but the work he is best known for is The Maximus Poems, a postmodern epic that appeared in several installments. This poem is a fantastic example of his work, its complexity, and its beauty. It's a great starting point for someone interested in exploring his writing.
I wake you,
stone. Love this man.
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‘I, Maximus of Gloucester, to You’ by Charles Olson explores human existence and its several intricacies – love, uncertainty, identity, and the foibles of modern society.
Charles Olson, an American poet, literary theorist, and essayist, was born in Worcester, Massachusetts, and rose to prominence not just in America but across the world. "The Maximus Poems" is his magnum opus, spanning multiple volumes. His poem 'I, Maximus of Gloucester, to You' is a significant piece within this wider work, drawing readers into the speaker's inner world and reflecting on temporal life, love, identity, creativity, and modern society.
Off-shore, by islands hidden in the blood
jewels & miracles, I, Maximus
a metal hot from boiling water, tell you
what is a lance, who obeys the figures of
