POeT SHOTS is a monthly series published on the third Tuesday of the month. It features work by established writers followed by commentary and insight by Ed Krizek.

Today

by Daniel G. Hoffman

Today the sun rose, as it used to do
When its mission was to shine on you.
Since in unrelenting dark you're gone,
What now can be the purpose of the sun?

This month includes Valentine’s Day. It is a time when some of us consider romantic love and what it means. This short poem by Dan Hoffman for me encapsulates love for a partner that is everlasting. The poem was written after the death of Hoffman’s wife of almost fifty years, Elizabeth McFaland, who was the poetry editor of Ladies Home Journal and an influential poet in her own right. While the poem is sad, it is loving at the same time. Love does end with death.

Dan Hoffman was the Consultant to the Library of Congress on poetry in 1973. This was before the position of Poet Laureate was created. Dan lived in Swarthmore and taught at the college there as well as The University of Pennsylvania. He was a great friend to Mad Poets and read for us a number of times before his death in 2013.

Think about your loves. Can you feel the way Dan Hoffman does about his?

Ed Krizek holds a BA and MS from University of Pennsylvania, and an MBA and MPH from Columbia University. For over twenty years Ed has been studying and writing poetry. He is the author of six books of poetry: Threshold, Longwood Poems, What Lies Ahead, Swimming With Words, The Pure Land, and This Will Pass. All are available on Amazon. Ed writes for the reader who is not necessarily an initiate into the poetry community. He likes to connect with his readers on a personal level.