Description

Roland Henry Flint (Feb. 27, 1934 – Jan. 2, 2001) was born in River Park River, ND. He was an English professor at Georgetown University for 30 years and the poet laureate of Maryland from 1995-2000. His papers are housed at the University of Maryland.

Two of his nine collections of poems were published by NC Wesleyan College Press; others, by LSU Press, the Dial Press, Dryad Press, and Unicorn.

Here’s the title poem from Pigeon:

He Didn’t Know He was A

Pigeon: until the day in New York City
When he’d left the rented nest & her
He’s often called a nest & was walking,
Bad hungover from the pre-wedding bash
To his favorite Wolf’s (52nd & 7th)
For bagel, egg & aspirin,
And his path was blocked by
Pigeons & then just one,
Fat, rumpled, grouchy, clumsy,
And he & the pigeon did
A little dance before finding
The paths around, & he thought,
Oh God, I danced like that last night
At the fancy dinner, dressed just
Like a pigeon in the rented tux,
Colliding with the bride’s mother,
Saying some dumb pigeon-yiddish, & pigeon
Dancing, drunk & bumbling,
Strumbling by: pigeon, plain
As pigeon.