Paul Nelson: "Busy"

The VPR Poem of the Week is Paul Nelson’s “Busy,” which appeared in the Spring/Summer 2005 issue (Volume VI, Number 2) of Valparaiso Poetry Review.

Paul Nelson’s is the author of five books of poetry, including The Hard Shapes of Paradise (University of Alabama Press, 1988), Days Off (University Press of Virginia, 1982), Average Nights (L’Epervier Press, 1977), and Cargo (Stone Wall Press, 1972). A new collection, Sea Level, is due this week from Main Street Rag Press. Nelson’s poems also have appeared widely in various literary journals, including Colorado Review, Cortland Review, Kansas Quarterly, Laurel Review, North American Review, Ohio Review, Ploughshares, and Willow Springs. Paul Nelson is the retired Director of Creative Writing and Professor of English at Ohio University.

Tuesday of each week “One Poet’s Notes” highlights an exceptional work by a poet selected from the archives of Valparaiso Poetry Review with the recommendation that readers revisit it. Please check the sidebar to view the list of poets and works that have been past “Poem of the Week” selections. Additionally, readers are reminded that VPR pages are best read with the browser font preference in which they were set, 12 pt. Times New Roman, in order to guarantee the stanza alignment and the breaks of longer lines are preserved.