William Stanley Merwin (born September 30, 1927) is an American poet, credited with over fifty books of poetry, translation and prose.[1] During the 1960s anti-war movement, Merwin's unique craft was thematically characterized by indirect, unpunctuated narration. In the 1980s and 1990s, Merwin's writing influence derived from his interest in Buddhist philosophy and deep ecology. Residing in Hawaii, he writes prolifically and is dedicated to the restoration of the islands' rainforests.

Merwin has received many honors, including the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry (in both 1971 and 2009),[2] the National Book Award for Poetry (2005)[3] and the Tanning Prize, one of the highest honors bestowed by the Academy of American Poets, as well as the Golden Wreath of the Struga Poetry Evenings. In 2010, the Library of Congress named Merwin the seventeenth United States Poet Laureate to replace the outgoing Kay Ryan.[4][5](from Wikipedia)

I came across this poem while reading the New Yorker.
I liked it and wanted to share it.
So many, so much bad news, day after day, overwhelm any individual, and that includes me.
When I was in middle age and active in medical practice, so many elderly patients of mine used to complain
of all the bad news in CNN which used to make them depressed and upset, causing aggravation of their cardiac symptoms.
I used to tell him simply not to watch the news.
Now I've become one of those elderly and finds it difficult to deal with.

"Endless patience will never be enough"
It is interesting and sounds religious when he concludes by saying that the daylight is the answer,
which seems to suggest that becoming someone like Buddha or Jesus would be the answer
to deal with the overwhelming tides of bad news day after day.


"