“Songs in Sepia and Black and White is about the influences that make us; in these 101 poems Norbert Krapf explores the richness of his ancestry, from the memory of his parents to his abiding, formative love for Walt Whitman, Emily Dickinson, Bob Dylan, and other figures. A book to treasure – and a book that confirms Krapf’s status as one of America’s finest living poets.” Benjamin Hedin, editor of Studio A: The Bob Dylan Reader “Songs in Sepia and Black and White is a collection that you will want to take with you wherever you travel, even if only to the next room. Norbert Krapf’s poetry makes you want to celebrate your own family history, your own roots, and the beauty that surrounds us all.” David Amram, composer, multi-instrumentalist, author “The book title for the entire collection very appropriately reflects all three artistic genres of this volume: music, pictorial art (photography), and language as the medium of poetry.” Gert Niers, poet and critic, German Life “Krapf is a mature poet at the height of his power.” Joe Bruchac, author of multiple poetry books Songs in Sepia and Black & White Songs in Sepia and Black & White Norbert Krapf Photographs by Richard Fields an imprint of IndIana UnIversIty Press Bloomington & Indianapolis This book is a publication of Quarry Books an imprint of IndIana unIversIty Press 601 North Morton Street Bloomington, Indiana 47404-3797 usa iupress.indiana.edu Telephone orders 800-842-6796 Fax orders 812-855-7931 © 2012 Poems by Norbert Krapf © 2012 Photographs by Richard Fields All rights reserved No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. The Association of American University Presses’ Resolution on Permissions constitutes the only exception to this prohibition. The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of the American National Standard for Information Sciences – Permanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials, ansI Z39.48-1992. Manufactured in the United States of America Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Krapf, Norbert [date] Songs in sepia and black and white / Norbert Krapf ; photographs by Richard Fields. p. cm. IsBn 978-0-253-00632-5 (pb : alk. paper) – IsBn 978-0-253-00636-3 (ebook) I. Fields, Richard. II. Title. Ps3561.r27s66 2012 811'.54 – dc23 2011053370 1 2 3 4 5 17 16 15 14 13 12 for Annie and Vince Clemente and Han and Bill Heyen in memory of the waters and light of Walt’s Island home norBert KraPf for my granddaughters Clara and Jillian rIchard fIelds It is the privilege and the labor of the apprentice of creation to come with his imagination into the unimaginable, and with his speech into the unspeakable. Wendell Berry, “A Native Hill” All things are inventions of holiness. Some more rascally than others. Mary Oliver, “The Wren from Carolina” Logic and sermons never convince, The damp of the night drives deeper into my soul. Walt Whitman, “Song of Myself”