Word Sorcerers

Quartet of word sorcerers
geniuses and outliers all
gifted with huge imaginations
William, Vidia, Edith, Emily

placating their literary gods
with sacrifices of the human heart

rich baritone William Maxwell
empathetic, Midwestern pitch
harmonizing urbane intellect
with authentic sensibility

placating his literary gods
with sacrifices of the human heart

dissonant tenor V.S. Naipaul
clear-eyed renderings of humankind
tainted with syncopated anger
Trinidadian, Indian, cynical ex-pat

placating his literary gods
with sacrifices of the human heart

contralto singer Edith Wharton
in anguished, high-society tones
lamentations for cosseted females
caught in genderized, tribal traps

placating her literary gods
with sacrifices of the human heart

purest soprano Emily Dickinson
quiet rebel of lyric conventions
at counterpoint to other voices
with soul-felt exultations

placating her literary gods
with sacrifices of the human heart

intricate, solicitous riffs
exploitative rhythms
staccato of smothered lives
transformative motifs

placating their literary gods
with sacrifices of the human heart.