Emily Dickinson wrote this stunner of a poem in 1862, during the Civil War, during a time of both personal loss and, remarkably, renewal. Her wisdom is especially relevant right now. I read her words as a Poetics of Transformation. May you find inspiration and strength here. We grow accustomed to the Dark— We grow [...]
A fantastical prose poem that moves between the comical and something of real import for our poet's antisocial narrator. May all our journeys be so transformative! Untitled [I sink back upon the ground, expecting to die] I sink back upon the ground, expecting to die. A voice speaks out of my ear, You are not [...]
This imaginative poem opens with a playful image. From there, we take a long yet concise journey and land on something quite unexpected. Enjoy! In Space In space (the experiment suggested by two fifth graders), a Canadian astronaut wrings water out of a towel. It stays by the towel, horizontal transparent isinglass, a hyaline column. [...]
Happy 10th Anniversary Poem of the Month! I've long loved this poem by Mr. Kunitz. High time to share it! I have walked through many lives, some of them my own, and I am not who I was, though some principle of being abides, from which I struggle not to stray. When I look behind, [...]
Happy Seventh Birthday, Poem of the Month! Take the used-up heart like a pebble and throw it far out. Soon there is nothing left. Soon the last ripple exhausts itself in the weeds. Returning home, slice carrots, onions, celery. Glaze them in oil before adding the lentils, water, and herbs. Then the roasted chestnuts, a [...]
In Blackwater Woods Look, the trees are turning their own bodies into pillars of light, are giving off the rich fragrance of cinnamon and fulfillment, the long tapers of cattails are bursting and floating away over the blue shoulders of the ponds, and every pond, no matter what its name is, is nameless now. Every [...]
It Felt Love How Did the rose Ever open its heart And give to this world All its Beauty? It felt the encouragement of light Against its Being. Otherwise, We all remain Too Frightened. By Persian Sufi poet, Hafiz (c. 1320 - 1389), from The Gift: The Subject Tonight is Love, renderings by Daniel Ladinsky [...]