Nevertheless Poem by Marianne Moore

Nevertheless

Rating: 3.6


you've seen a strawberry
that's had a struggle; yet
was, where the fragments met,

a hedgehog or a star-
fish for the multitude
of seeds. What better food

than apple seeds - the fruit
within the fruit - locked in
like counter-curved twin

hazelnuts? Frost that kills
the little rubber-plant -
leaves of kok-sagyyz-stalks, can't

harm the roots; they still grow
in frozen ground. Once where
there was a prickley-pear -

leaf clinging to a barbed wire,
a root shot down to grow
in earth two feet below;

as carrots from mandrakes
or a ram's-horn root some-
times. Victory won't come

to me unless I go
to it; a grape tendril
ties a knot in knots till

knotted thirty times - so
the bound twig that's under-
gone and over-gone, can't stir.

The weak overcomes its
menace, the strong over-
comes itself. What is there

like fortitude! What sap
went through that little thread
to make the cherry red!

COMMENTS OF THE POEM
Practicing Poetess 19 March 2018

An interesting and unusual poem. The title word, nevertheless, never once appeared anywhere in the poem.

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Bernard F. Asuncion 19 March 2018

Such a great poem by Marianne Moore👍👍👍

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Subhas Chandra Chakra 19 March 2018

Thanks for the beautiful poem shared.

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Geeta Radhakrishna Menon 19 March 2018

Strawberry, hazelnuts, apple seeds and carrots - an array of delicious fruits and nuts and the process of the root that made the 'cherry red' is beautifully conveyed by the Poetess Marianne Moore. Lovely poem!

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Susan Williams 19 March 2018

The weak overcomes its menace, the strong over-comes itself. What is there like fortitude! - - Nature is chock full of these examples- yet do we see them much less heed them?

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Sylvia Frances Chan 07 December 2023

FIVE: I like the final stanza very much, it goes like this: like fortitude! Some juice went through that little wire to make the icing red!

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Sylvia Frances Chan 07 December 2023

FOUR: My Congrats for the family of the great poetess Marianne Moore.

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Sylvia Frances Chan 07 December 2023

THREE: Congrats to Marianne Moore on being chosen as The Modern Poem Of The Day. I have enjoyed tremendously this gorgeous poem

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Sylvia Frances Chan 07 December 2023

TWO: The poem also emphasizes the power of determination and perseverance, and how these qualities can help us overcome obstacles and achieve our goals. Great attention to detail and subtle humor, which I like very much

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Sylvia Frances Chan 07 December 2023

ONE: a complex poem that can be interpreted in different ways. describes the beauty and resilience of nature, highlighting how even the most fragile things can survive and thrive in difficult circumstances.

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Marianne Moore

Marianne Moore

Kirkwood, Missouri
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