One great poem to read today: Dean Young’s “Unstable Particles”
This April marks the 30th iteration of National Poetry Month, which was launched by the Academy of American Poets in April 1996. To celebrate, the Literary Hub staff will be recommending one great poem to read every (work) day of the month. We make no claim (except when we do) that these poems are the “best” poems in any category; they are simply poems we love. The only other thing they all have in common is that they are available to read for free online, so you can enjoy them along with us. The internet is still good for some things, after all. Today we recommend:
Dean Young’s “Unstable Particles”
Dean Young was one of our great death poets—or perhaps it’s better to say he was one of our great impermanence poets. He lived with a degenerative heart condition for many years, and in 2011 he underwent a heart transplant that saved his life. In 2022, he died from complications from COVID. A descendant of the New York school with a flair for surrealism, he is funny and irreverent and often dark, but always aware of both the beauty and the fragility of life. As Charles Simic put it, “this man reminds us that there is nothing more serious than a joke.”
I have particular affection for this poem, which I read at my father’s memorial service. As far as I know, my father never read Dean Young himself (though he may well have, the man read everything) but I thought, as a lifelong Buddhist, he would appreciate the wisdom in it: everything ends, but that’s no more or less meaningful than anything else. I also thought, as a lifelong wiseass, he would appreciate the jokes.
Emily Temple
Emily Temple is the managing editor at Lit Hub. Her first novel, The Lightness, was published by William Morrow/HarperCollins in June 2020. You can buy it here.
