Suddenly by Louis Simpson - The New Criterion

Poems

November 2005

Suddenly

by Louis Simpson

A new poem.

Burke

was right!

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The truck came at me,
I swerved
but I got a dent.

The car insurance woman
informs me that my policy
has been cancelled.

I say, “You can’t do that.”
She gives me a little smile
and goes back to her nails.

Lately have you noticed
how aggressively people drive?
A whoosh! and whatever.

Some people are suddenly
very rich, and as many
suddenly very poor.

As for the war, don’t get me started.
We were too busy watching
the ball game to see

that the things we care about
are suddenly disappearing,
and that they always were.

Louis Simpson is working on a new book of poems. He lives in Stony Brook, New York.

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