Poem of the Day: "Monuments for a Friendly Girl at a Tenth Grade Party" by William E. Stafford, Poet of the Month

The Songs of Eretz Poem of the Day for July 25, 2014 is "Monuments for a Friendly Girl at a Tenth Grade Party" by William E. Stafford, Poet of the Month.  In addition to the reviews this month, Mr. Stafford's work has been examined previously here:  http://eretzsongs.blogspot.com/2014/04/poem-of-day-once-in-40s-by-william.html, where a brief biography and references may be found.  The text of "Monuments for a Friendly Girl at a Tenth Grade Party" may be found here:  http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poetrymagazine/poem/19717.

"Monuments for a Friendly Girl at a Tenth Grade Party" is an elegy to Ruth, most likely a childhood friend of the poet.  The first stanza tells how the speaker and Ruth met.  The second pays tribute to the selfless way that Ruth chose to spend her life.  The third and final stanza states that Ruth will be remembered by the forces of nature that she loved and by the poet, the poem, and the readers of the poem.