Fairfield University Professor's poem to be read on The Writer's Almanac

Fairfield University Professor's poem to be read on The Writer's Almanac

Image: Kim Bridgford "One Hundredth Birthday," a poem by Fairfield University English Professor Kim Bridgford, Ph.D., has been chosen to be read on the popular radio program "The Writer's AlmanacĀ®," hosted by Garrison Keillor. Dr. Bridgford's poem will be featured on Sunday, Oct. 16.

The program is not carried in Connecticut, but an audio copy of the recording can be downloaded at http://writersalmanac.publicradio.org/
programs/2005/10/10/index.html

"The Writer's AlmanacĀ®," a daily program of poetry and history hosted by Garrison Keillor, can be heard each day on public radio stations throughout the country. Each day's program is about five minutes long - check local radio listings for the station and time in your area or visit http://writersalmanac.publicradio.org/stations/

"One Hundredth Birthday" has been published in Dr. Bridgford's latest book, "Instead of Maps: Poems by Kim Bridgford" (David Robert Books, 2005). Dr. Bridgford wrote the poem, which takes a sobering look at the celebration of a century's milestone, as a reflection on the aging process and how people look at age as a marker and identifier of another person. "Your 'self' is a more fluid concept to you," Dr. Bridgford, a resident of Wallingford, noted.

Dr. Bridgford will give a free, public reading from "Instead of Maps" in the multi-media room of the DiMenna-Nyselius Library at Fairfield University on Monday, Oct. 17, at 7:30 p.m.

"One Hundredth Birthday" by Kim Bridgford

Your birthdays now are lit with irony,
And years build up like tombstones on the cake.
You use one candle for simplicity.

Anticipation mixes with an ache
That makes you wonder how you got this far,
And when. At thirty, things became a blur,
And then the weary nonsense of the rest.

One hundredth birthday bash! It's a mistake,
You say, and they count out for you, alike,
With rapid fingers all your days. No test:
You can't believe you are three numbers strong.

You've become a span of time where people go
To reevaluate where man went wrong.
Time's diplomat, you smile, then you blow.

Posted On: 10-11-2005 10:10 AM

Volume: 38 Number: 67