The celebrated poet Jane Hirshfield, a friend and cyber-neighbor in The WELL, posted a poem by Jack Gilbert following the announcement of his passing last week. The poem is titled “A Brief for the Defense.” These lines were especially powerful and important, to my eye and heart:
We can do without pleasure,
but not delight. Not enjoyment. We must have
the stubbornness to accept our gladness in the ruthless
furnace of this world. To make injustice the only
measure of our attention is to praise the Devil.
– Jack Gilbert