Elevating the Ordinary

Robert Morgan is one of America's finest younger poets. Often referred to as a regional poet, his work recounts the beauty and the way of life he knew in the mountains of North Carolina. Morgan has published eleven books of poetry and has received numerous awards, among them a Guggenheim fellowship, a fellowship at the Bellagio Conference in Italy, and the North Carolina Literary Award. Since 1971, he has taught at Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y. Digger Pond.

A log across a branch or big rock will catch water behind it. But the spill over the lip will hollow a bigger pool below. The plunge of water from the rim scoops out a trough and keeps on deepening the gash, digging out the bed until a clear pool stands under the twitching tongue that goes on stirring depth and length of the magnifying catchment with the strength of exploration, steady voice.