Michael Palmer Poetry

Michael Palmer (1942-2013) was a prominent American poet, essayist, and translator associated with the Language poetry movement. His poetic style was characterized by experimental language, fragmented imagery, and a blend of personal and political themes. Palmer’s works often explore the limits and possibilities of language, memory, and the complexities of existence with lyrical precision and philosophical depth.

His poems also challenge conventional modes of expression and invite readers to engage with the complexities of contemporary life. Palmer’s poetry is marked by intellectual rigor, linguistic playfulness, and a profound exploration of existential questions.

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I Do Not

Michael Palmer’s ‘I Do Not’ explores the limitations imposed by a lack of English proficiency, highlighting the speaker’s isolation.

Michael Palmer is an American poet who is known for his meaningful poems, like this one. 'I Do Not' is one of the best poems Palmer wrote. It speaks on widely relatable topics in a way that most readers will be able to relate to in one way or another. It also conveys a great deal about the quality of his collections like 'Thread,' 'Company of Moths,' and 'The Promises of Glass.' Readers who enjoy poems by poets like John Ashbery and Gertrude Stein are also to connect to this Michael Palmer poem.

I do not know English.

I do not know English, and therefore I can have nothing to

say about this latest war, flowering through a night-

scope in the evening sky.

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