Pentti Saarikoski

Poet
Pentti Saarikoski (1937–83)

According to Wikipedia, Pentti Saarikoski was one of the most important poets in the literary scene of Finland during the 1960s and 1970s. His body of work comprises poetry and translations, among them such classics as Homer's Odyssey and James Joyce's Ulysses.

The beginning of this poem rejects a criticism
of the poem.



Today He Is Critical

…
that when I'm writing I'm picking mushrooms
and you can only find mushrooms by wandering in the forest
without haste
and when I find one I don't take just the cap
but also the stalk and the stem
even mycelium
though it might be short-sighted and stupid
but a poem must be a complete organ
not a mere fruiting body
a good poet
doesn't make poems
but looks for them