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Gregory Orr grew up in the Hudson Valley, where traumatic childhood incidents forged writing as an act of survival. The author of numerous poetry collections, including The Last Love Poem I Will Ever Write, he is a master of short, lyric free verse. He wrote the memoir The Blessing and three books of essays, including Poetry as Survival. A professor of English at the University of Virginia since 1975, Orr lives in Charlottesville with his wife and daughters.

Photograph by Trisha Orr.

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If to Say It Once

by Gregory Orr
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If to say it once

And once only, then still
To say: Yes.


And say it complete,
Say it as if the word
Filled the whole moment
With its absolute saying.
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  • Orr gives me a mirror for the moments, not even minutes...

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