The Poetry Box

Jeff Knorr

Poem of the Day (04-01-2018)

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To celebrate National Poetry Month, The Poetry Box is sharing a Poem-of-the-Day, selected from various anthologies and individual poet collections that we have published over the years.

National Poetry Month, 2018 - Poem of the Day at The Poetry Box

Please enjoy today’s selection: “Sacrifice” by Jeff Knorr (Sacramento Poet Laureate Emeritus), which appears in Verse on the Vine Anthology:

Sacrifice

~ for my son

It’s the jungle and the hot
sun is being cooled
by large palmated leaves.
You and I stand in front of the pyramid
steps and we imagine life then,
what might have happened,
flaying someone open at the top
like field dressing a deer, the leader
lifting out the heart as an offering.
No, it probably didn’t happen like that,
these Mayans were peaceful people.

Later that evening at a restaurant table
in a little fishing village you sat
with your mother and I drawing the whole scene.
Sacrifice. You’ll understand it someday—
but you’re not supposed to just yet.
It’s not like standing in the drifting snow
splitting wood because we need more fire.
It’s not even like wanting to buy you
that new fishing rod for Christmas
in the window down at Sullivan’s Sporting Goods.

No, it’s because today the sun is out,
there’s a little breeze off the water
and we stand here drifting little midge
patterns to trout. And when I look at you
I think the day couldn’t be any better.
It’s because, if I do it, everything
might just be a little more beautiful.

 
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Verse on the Vine f. Jeff Knorr

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Wednesday, Feb 6, 2013
7:00-9:00 pm

Verse on the Vine Poetry Series

at

Petra Vineyard Wine Gallery
627 Sutter Street (Old Town Historic Folsom)
Folsom, CA 95630

Poet Laureate of Sacramento, Jeff Knorr!

Jeff Knorr is the author of the three books of poetry, The Third Body (Cherry Grove Collections), Keeper (Mammoth Books), and Standing Up to the Day (Pecan Grove Press). His poetry and essays have appeared in numerous literary journals and anthologies including Chelsea, Connecticut Review, The Journal, North American Review, Red Rock Review, Barrow Street, and Like Thunder: Poets Respond to Violence in America (University of Iowa).

Jeff has edited, judged, and been a visiting writer for various conferences and festivals. He was the founding co-editor and poetry editor of the Clackamas Literary Review. He has also been an invited judge for contests such as the DeNovo First Book Contest, the Willamette Award in Poetry and the Red Rock Poetry Award. He has appeared as a visiting writer at such venues and festivals as Wordstock, University of Pennsylvania’s Kelly Writer’s House, The Des Moines Festival of Literary Arts, and CSU Sacramento’s Summer Writers Conference. He currently directs the River City Writer’s Series at Sacramento City College. Jeff has been the Chair of the English department at Sacramento City College and he has also served on the Sacramento County Office of Education Arts Advisory Board.

Jeff Knorr lives in Sacramento, California and is Professor of literature and creative writing at Sacramento City College.