• Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer

Willawaw Journal

Online Poetry & Art

  • Home
  • Poet Laureate Prompts
    • Prompts for Spring 2021
    • Prompts for Winter 2020
    • Prompts for Fall 2020
    • Prompts for Spring 2020
    • Prompts for Winter 2019
    • Prompts for Fall 2019
    • Prompts for Spring 2019
    • Prompts for Winter 2018
    • Prompts for Fall 2018
    • Prompts for Spring 2018
    • Prompts for Winter 2017
    • Prompts for Summer 2017
  • Journal
    • Willawaw Journal Winter 2020 Issue 11
    • Willawaw Journal Fall 2020 Issue 10
    • Willawaw Journal Spring 2020 Issue 9
    • Willawaw Journal Winter 2019 Issue 8
    • Willawaw Journal Fall 2019 Issue 7
    • Willawaw Journal Spring 2019 Issue 6
    • Events
    • Willawaw Journal Winter 2018 Issue 5
    • Willawaw Journal Fall 2018 Issue 4
    • Willawaw Journal Spring 2018 Issue 3
    • Willawaw Journal Winter 2017 Issue 2
    • Willawaw Journal Summer 2017 Issue 1
  • Submissions
  • About
    • The Editor
    • Behind-the-Scenes Creatives and Advisors
  • Contact

Doug Stone

In Memory of Peter Sears

      (1937-2017) Poet, teacher, friend–
       I believe that when I hear a poem,
       I hear the silences between the words.
                                             —Peter Sears 

Auden said, “The death of the poet was kept
from his poems.” But he was wrong. When poets die,
their poems know and they grieve.

For Peter, there came the time when time had run
its course, when every breath he tried to take
was broken and he had no more distance left in him.
His poems knew he was dying. He kept no secrets
from his poems. The honesty of his poetry
had given them the strength to know the truth.

When Peter stepped from this life into his next,
his poems understood.  He had prepared them well
to be poems in a world without the poet.
They grieved, oh, they grieved, but did so
only in the silences between the words.

 

Doug Stone has written two poetry collections, The Season of Distress and Clarity and The Moon’s Soul Shimmering on the Water. His poems have been published in numerous journals and in the anthology, A Ritual To Read Together: Poems in Conversation with William Stafford. He lives in Albany, Oregon. 

Share this:

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Print

Related

Footer

Stay In Touch

Subscribe to our mailing list for news about events, opportunities, and of course, the latest issue of Willawaw Journal.
* indicates required
We respect your privacy and will never sell or rent your personal information to third parties.

Support

Willawaw Journal requires no reading fees for submissions. Please make a donation to support the running of Willawaw Journal. Thank you!

Support Willawaw Journal

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram

Copyright © 2021 Willawaw Journal, LLC · WordPress · site design by Yeda, LLC