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.

Occult Power of the Alphabet

by Gregory Orr

Occult power of the alphabet—
How it combines
And recombines into words
That resurrect the beloved
Every time.

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