Remembering Hayden Carruth

When we posted a notice of the death of Hayden Carruth, Vermont poet T. Namaya responded with notes remembering how he crossed paths with Carruth:

“I was one of the folks who helped to get him his ‘honorary Vermont Poet Laureate’ and arranged for a tour of Vermont a few years ago. For years he always looked like he was inches away from death.... I thought he was easily one of the great American poets with his vibrant use of language, color, texture, and his writing had a lovely lyrical feel. Man, he could write! As importantly, his voice was very distinct, and vibrant. I learned quite a bit from his work.”

Namaya also very kindly granted us permission to publish his poem written during that reading tour: “Driving with the Great Poet.” Do any others of you have Carruth memories you’d like to share?

Update:
We’ve been given another poem written in memory of Carruth — “Drives Thru a Poem Like He’s Headed for That Cliff He’s Been Over Before,” by Linda Lerner, from a weekend visit to interview Carruth for New York Quarterly. Enjoy!