Richard Henry Wilde Dillard

Richard Henry Wilde Dillard Poems

Richard Henry Wilde Dillard Biography

Richard Henry Wilde Dillard[1] (born 11 October 1937) is an American poet, author, critic, and translator. Born in Roanoke, Virginia, Dillard is best known as a poet. He is also highly regarded as a writer of fiction and critical essays, as well as one of the screenwriters for the cult classic Frankenstein Meets the Space Monster. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Roanoke College and went on to receive of a Master of Arts (1959) and the Ph. D. (1965) from the University of Virginia. While at the University of Virginia he was both a Woodrow Wilson and a DuPont Fellow. He is considered something of an institution at Hollins University where he has been teaching creative writing, literature, and film studies since 1964. Dillard has been the editor of the Hollins Critic since 1996. He also served as the vice president of the Film Journal from 1973-1980. He is the winner of numerous awards for his writing including the Academy of American Poets Prize, the O. B. Hardison, Jr. Poetry Prize, and the Hanes Award for Poetry. In 2007, he was awarded the George Garrett Award for Service to Contemporary Literature by the Association of Writers & Writing Programs. Dillard influenced many contemporary writers including both his ex-wives Annie Dillard and Cathryn Hankla. Others include the likes of Henry S. Taylor, Lee Smith, Lucinda MacKethan, Anne Jones, Rosanne Coggeshall, Wyn Cooper, Jill McCorkle, Madison Smartt Bell, and Julia Johnson.)

The Best Poem Of Richard Henry Wilde Dillard

Living Among Trees

Living among trees, we can only be
So proud, so much 'in control'
Of things, so sure of what
We're sure, so filled
With self regard.

No breeze, heavy and hot, moves
At the foot of the tulip tree,
Yet high, high overhead,
Tips of branches turn,
Leaves lift.

It is the passage of time, of air
We hear, rustle and shush
Of leaves, this rush
Of motion, of flow,
Of letting go.

But we hold on tight, arms embrace
The rooted trunk, smooth bark,
Just as we hold each other
Those moments when we
Touch, then part.

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