Billy Collins is an award winning poet and has recently been named U.S. Poet Laureate. His other honors and awards include fellowships from the New York Foundation for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the Guggenheim Foundation. In 1992, he was chosen by the New York Public Library to serve as "Literary Lion". He writes a variety of poetry that is very intriguing.
I love the creative language he uses to express his ideas. My favorite poem of his is entitled “Flames”. The poem is about how arrogant people are with regards to fire prevention. He tries to add a bit of humor to the subject and I believe he succeeded. I hope to read more of his poetry and I highly recommend his work.
Flames
Smokey the Bear heads
into the autumn woods
with a red can of gasoline
and a box of wooden matches.
His ranger's hat is cocked
at a disturbing angle.
His brown fur gleams
under the high sun
as his paws, the size
of catcher's mitts,
crackle into the distance.
He is sick of dispensing
warnings to the careless,
the half-wit camper,
the dumbbell hiker.
He is going to show them
how a professional does it.
Billy Collins
I love the creative language he uses to express his ideas. My favorite poem of his is entitled “Flames”. The poem is about how arrogant people are with regards to fire prevention. He tries to add a bit of humor to the subject and I believe he succeeded. I hope to read more of his poetry and I highly recommend his work.
Flames
Smokey the Bear heads
into the autumn woods
with a red can of gasoline
and a box of wooden matches.
His ranger's hat is cocked
at a disturbing angle.
His brown fur gleams
under the high sun
as his paws, the size
of catcher's mitts,
crackle into the distance.
He is sick of dispensing
warnings to the careless,
the half-wit camper,
the dumbbell hiker.
He is going to show them
how a professional does it.
Billy Collins
