I was seventeen when I met William Kloefkorn. The summer between my junior and senior year of high school I was part of his poetry workshop. Kloefkorn was round and wrinkled man at that point who wore a fully gray head of hair and mustache. I remember feeling a little naive and a little thrilled that he would be unabashedly foul-mouthed around his students.
In some combination his skills and my age the summer workshop made a profound impression on me. I hadn’t realized the title of Nebraska State Poet even existed until I heard his work. If a series of words could nudge the axial tilt of the planet, the strong provincial leanings my home state, I thought those words must have been penned by Kloefkorn.
The position of State Poet in Nebraska carries a lifetime appointment, and William Kloefkorn vacated his post yesterday . Upon hearing of his death I suddenly felt seventeen, like I was sitting in my first workshop with pages and pages of my notebook all scribbled up. I conjured the calming sense that accompanied the gravelly sound of Kloefkorn's voice. The way he selected out the good specks dotting the page. The way he encouraged me to give this poem another go because "it had good legs, it could really go somewhere."
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Quote of My Day: I have seldom loved more than one thing at a time,
yet this morning I feel myself expanding, each part of me soft and glandular, and under my skin
is room enough now for the loving of many things, and all of them at once.
(an excerpt from "Hands" by Wm. Kloefkorn)
Distance-Ed Revelation: I'm taking Physics I this summer. Because its a class that requires a lab, I thought I'd have to do some special-Olympic-style-maneuvering. Turns out there's this shop in Colorado that sends out a "Labpaq" delivered to my door. How cool is that?
Dinner Plans: Bread & Cup. I have my dress and high-heel-y shoes all laid out and everything.
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