I can’t tell you how much I love this poem, “Becoming Anne Bradstreet,” by Irish poet Eavan Boland. I love poems that “talk” to other poems, but I especially like the spare couplets in this poem, which traces connections, real and imagined, between the speaker (identifying as the poet) and Anne Bradstreet.
Image courtesy of Supertrooper / Freedigitalphotos.net
It’s also lovely to read how deeply affected a writer of poetry can be by being a reader of poetry.
Rosemary and Reading Glasses 
I think one of my weaknesses in literary studies is poetry because I don’t know much about it and I haven’t studied it much. I love that your blog helps to fill that gap in my education and in my life!
Thank you so much, Emily! I’m so glad it’s helpful — I love poetry and I’m grateful if even one person reads a poem s/he otherwise might not. 🙂
Ditto what Emily said 🙂 You are right. This poem is lovely. I especially love the end.
Thanks for introducing this poem and poet to us!