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Carol Muske-Dukes

Carol Muske-Dukes

Carol Muske-Dukes is the author of eight books of poems, four novels, two essay collections, and she has co-edited two poetry anthologies. (In 2014, six of her collections will be published as e-books with Open Road Media.) She is professor of English/Creative Writing at the Univ. of Southern Calif. (where she founded the PhD Program in CW/Lit). She recently completed her term as Poet Laureate of California. She has been the recipient of many awards, including a Guggenheim, NEA, the Castagnola Award (PSA), Dylan Thomas award, Barnes & Noble Writer for Writers award and several Pushcart prizes, as well a finalist for the National Book Award.

Unexpected Ocean


Byron sneered he "had no Greek",
                So Keats read Homer in
 Cockney, pure—
               
 Brought across from Ancient Hellas
        just for John—lighting the original stars
  Up where new planets swam
     
                 Then back on earth sank
into the minds of explorers topping
                     a silent rise

to find an unexpected ocean there.
           There, shaking out the realms of gold,
He may have noticed Lord B. hitch-

Hiking, with his Maid of Athens showing
a little leg— anything to help a poor boy
                             cadge a Ride.

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