Anthony Holden (1947–2023)

Whatever about men shedding a precious tear, this is a superior collection of poems whose stated organizing principle at least has the merit of placing the best attraction of poetry - its ability to move a reader's emotions in a carefully crafted relative minimum of words - fully forward. And it's also fun to see what poem some of your favorite famous personalities - Nick Cave, Patrick Stewart; they didn't disappoint- select, and briefly hear from them how they relate to it.

Though the extent of my own outer demonstrative range when reading a poem ends at a furrowed brow, a bit lip, a deep breath, I'd add the following selection to this collection: Northern Irish poet Michael Longley had the poem "Ceasefire" published in The Irish Times on the occasion of the IRA ceasefire in 1994, and the combination of an emotional connection to the Northern Irish Troubles, a connection to The Iliad, and imagining the pain of losing one of my own sons, combine to rank this one way up there for me.

I
Put in mind of his own father and moved to tears
Achilles took him by the hand and pushed the old king
Gently away, but Priam curled up at his feet and
Wept with him until their sadness filled the building.

II
Taking Hector's corpse into his own hands Achilles
Made sure it was washed and, for the old king's sake,
Laid out in uniform, ready for Priam to carry
Wrapped like a present home to Troy at daybreak.

III
When they had eaten together, it pleased them both
To stare at each other's beauty as lovers might,
Achilles built like a god, Priam good-looking still
And full of conversation, who earlier had sighed:

IV
'I get down on my knees and do what must be done
And kiss Achilles' hand, the killer of my son.'… (altro)

The editors of this nice volume of poetry asked a hundred notable men to submit poems that move, inspire or influence them, sometimes to tears. The resulting collection is a set of wonderful, sometimes well-known, sometimes obscure poetry that gives insight into the minds and feelings of the people who submitted them and also stir and release feelings within the reader.
I particularly liked the introduction to each poem. In these, the men submitting the poems explained how they selected them or why they found them so meaningful.
The entire collection is a "good read," but I found few offerings that had anywhere near the impact on me that they apparently had on those who submitted them. But, of course, art is like that--some people are moved by it, others are not. I am just glad to have had the chance to read this volume and realize that I am not the only man who likes a good, moving and inspirational poem.… (altro)