Lyric Life

Grace Paley's evocative and elegiac lyric poem, "When I Was Asked how I Could Leave Vermont In The Middle Of October," is a haunting statement of the truth we in New England live: that we yearn for that gorgeous moment when the leaves are turning orange and red, when in reality death is pressing in, when we're reminded that the world will come back again next year for another go at this gawdy show while we will just be another year older. Join me, Mark Scarbrough, as I explore this spare, sly, witty poem that dares to answer the fundamental question: How come I have to endure so much beauty when my body is aging away from me?