Kenneth Rexroth

Kenneth Rexroth, poet, painter, translator, and editor, was born on December 22, 1905 in South Bend, Indiana to Charles Rexroth, a pharmaceutical salesman, and Delia Reed. His father’s job required the family to move

When I dragged the rotten log

by Kenneth Rexroth (1905–82)

1<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
2<author>
3  <person id="9901" sex="1" role="author">
4    <name>
5      <firstname>Kenneth</firstname>
6      <lastname>Rexroth</lastname>
7    </name>
8    <life-events>
9      <date ty="birth" circa="false" suffix="ad">1905</date>
10      <date ty="death" circa="false" suffix="ad">1982</date>
11      <text-value>(1905–82)</text-value>
12    </life-events>
13    <biography>y</biography>
14  </person>
15</author>
16

 When I dragged the rotten log 
 From the bottom of the pool, 
 It seemed heavy as stone. 
 I let it lie in the sun 
 For a month; and then chopped it 
 Into sections, and split them 
 For kindling, and spread them out 
 To dry some more. Late that night, 
 After reading for hours, 

Click here for complete poem