Born in Belgrade, Yugoslavia, during World War II, Charles Simic suffered great hardship during his early life—an experience which has had a heavy influence on his art. In 1954 he came to the United States and studied literature. His education was interrupted in 1961 when he was drafted into the U.S. Army. Concise, and at times surrealistic, Simic’s poetry has earned many honors including the Pulitzer Prize for The World Doesn’t End.
More By This Poet
Past-Lives Therapy
They explained to me the bloody bandages
On the floor in the maternity ward in Rochester, N.Y.,
Cured the backache I acquired bowing to my old master,
Made me stop putting thumbtacks round my bed.
They showed me an officer on horseback,
Waving a saber...
The Wooden Toy
1
The brightly-painted horse
Had a boy’s face,
And four small wheels
Under his feet,
Plus a long string
To pull him by this way and that
Across the floor,
Should you care to.
A string in-waiting
That slipped away
In many wiles
From each and every try.
2
Knock and they’ll answer,
Mother...