poetry - Encouragement

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poetry

A collection of 199 posts

Andrea Cohen, "Seaside"

Andrea Cohen, "Seaside"

It's funny how planning can be the achievement itself.

Kay Ryan, "We’re Building the Ship as We Sail It"

Kay Ryan, "We’re Building the Ship as We Sail It"

...you shouldn’t reason the same way in emergencies as you do when things are normal.

Kay Ryan, "Crocodile Tears"

Kay Ryan, "Crocodile Tears"

The tropes are in charge, far more than actual people.

Marcin Świetlicki, "Photograph"

Marcin Świetlicki, "Photograph"

It is not a loss to recognize how you remember and how you love.

Robert Creeley, "Small Time"

Robert Creeley, "Small Time"

Robert Creeley's "Small Time" is a conversational poem.

Emily Dickinson, "Spring is the Period" (844)

Emily Dickinson, "Spring is the Period" (844)

You will have your days on Earth and they will be numbered.

Marcin Świetlicki, "April 1, Wągrowiec, Poland"

Marcin Świetlicki, "April 1, Wągrowiec, Poland"

Świetlicki grabs you, spins you around, and throws you into a dark, remote place.

Jennifer Chang, "Ceremony"

Jennifer Chang, "Ceremony"

Ceremonies ask you to commit.

Franz Wright, "P.S."

Franz Wright, "P.S."

Wright establishes empathy with an animal's ordeal.

Frederick Seidel, "Snow"

Frederick Seidel, "Snow"

The being of snow is its activity.

Kobayashi Issa, "On a branch…"

Kobayashi Issa, "On a branch…"

An insect makes their own boat and then launches into their opera, like a Venetian gondolier.

Kei Miller, "Book of Genesis"

Kei Miller, "Book of Genesis"

God creates, exercising their freedom, and frees.

Natalie Diaz, "From the Desire Field"

Natalie Diaz, "From the Desire Field"

"From the Desire Field" is most certainly living in the fullest sense, a sense I want.

Carol Snow, "Tour"

Carol Snow, "Tour"

The recognition that everything is sacred means recognizing the beauty and necessity of the fallen blossoms.

Emily Dickinson, "When I have seen the Sun emerge" (888)

Emily Dickinson, "When I have seen the Sun emerge" (888)

Dickinson's "When I have seen the Sun emerge" is an easy poem to indulge.

Carolina Ebeid, "letter to the Corinthians"

Carolina Ebeid, "letter to the Corinthians"

She lets "magnificent" sit on a line all by itself, as if the word alone deserves as much space as it can get.

Kevin Young, "Resume"

Kevin Young, "Resume"

The poem is not shy about life emerging from dirt. Worse than dirt, truth be told.

Lorine Niedecker, "Transition"

Lorine Niedecker, "Transition"

There are supple lines in poetry, lines with a breezy flexibility and realized grace.

Emily Dickinson, "A Thought went up my mind today" (701)

Emily Dickinson, "A Thought went up my mind today" (701)

Dickinson says she had a thought – "A Thought went up my mind today" – and then narrates its unique horror.

Emily Dickinson, "Pain — has an Element of Blank" (650)

Emily Dickinson, "Pain — has an Element of Blank" (650)

Dickinson claims "Pain – has an Element of Blank." I can't help but think how uncomfortable we are with that notion.

Emily Dickinson, "I worked for chaff and earning Wheat" (J 1269)

Emily Dickinson, "I worked for chaff and earning Wheat" (J 1269)

The question for us is our devotion to the worthless.

Graham Foust, "The Only Poem"

Graham Foust, "The Only Poem"

I'm staring at Foust's last lines of "The Only Poem:" Even in danger, / you're a writer, liar.

Emily Dickinson, "There is no Frigate like a Book"

Emily Dickinson, "There is no Frigate like a Book"

...how to respond to someone determined to tell you everything you're reading is worthless?

Jane Hirshfield, "A Chair in Snow"

Jane Hirshfield, "A Chair in Snow"

I thought I should share Jane Hirshfield's "A Chair in Snow" because it so beautifully illustrates the weight of the season.

Emily Dickinson, "The power to be true to You" (464)

emily dickinson

Emily Dickinson, "The power to be true to You" (464)

Dickinson does not inch toward the cosmic.