David Orr

Great poetry almost never leads to great paychecks. Even award-winning poets need to pay the bills. Many teach, but others are doctors, scientists, lawyers, undertakers or even market analysts. In celebration of National Poetry Month, writer David Orr takes a look at the secret lives of poets.

Love, death, marriage, divorce — poetry tends to focus on life's major moments. But that hasn't held true for birth and child rearing. Critic (and new dad) David Orr reflects on the reasons why, and on the women and men who are, at last, delivering the poetry of parenthood.

The memorials for poet Adrienne Rich, who died Tuesday, include plenty of references to her political activism and eventful personal life. Amid this, Critic David Orr pauses to reflect on one poem — a testament to her perseverance and her art.