poetry - Encouragement (Page 8)

Emily Dickinson, "In the name of the Bee" (J 18, F 23)

What seems to be at stake for Dickinson is as much as a bee, a butterfly, and a breeze. Why can’t she just have her say and be left alone?

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Wendy Videlock, "Bane"

Things mean things. Getting older is frustration that it’s hard to convey that meaning.

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Kay Ryan, "Backward Miracle"

I’m still not entirely comfortable with calling answered prayers for parking spaces or relief of everyday anxieties “miraculous.”

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Matsuo Bashō, "Don't imitate me..."

The problem lies in giving an audience more of the same. Imagine being presented with melon and more melon as choices for dessert.

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Kay Ryan, "Cloud"

Ryan, like Robert Frost and Elizabeth Bishop, is also a poet of “existential horror.” She extends hope, but her lyrics terrify if attended properly.

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Farnaz Fatemi, "Everything Is Made Of Labor"

Even the best believe good writing equates to a “mic drop” moment: say a fact to end all debate and nothing else needs to be written.

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Deborah A. Bennett, "beyond the fog..."; Ross Gay, "A Small Needful Fact"

Ross Gay’s artistry demands we understand media criticism to be on the same level as close-reading.

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Robert Creeley, "A Prayer"

“Bless / something small / but infinite / and quiet,” he prays, and I believe in the humility of his verse.

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Kyla Houbolt, "I see no reason for poetry"

How do we learn? Often by pretending to be who we want to be. Like all things, this is full of complications and contradictions.

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William Bortz, "October, and Everything is Breathing;" Ted Kooser, "Snow Fence"

I can imagine the anxiety of loss as a form of unfreedom, of constraint. It feels like being robbed of chances for deeply shared joy and happiness.

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Kay Ryan, "Sharks' Teeth"

I know people who must keep the television and radio on. Who must always be on the phone. Noise and noisiness, a way of life.

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Basho, "In Kyoto..."

When I think about broken relationships, I find that my imagination’s particular cruelty lies in giving me ideal versions of those I’ve loved.

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Sappho, "In the spring twilight"

...when Sappho intones “In the spring twilight // The full moon is shining,” I get jealous.

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Wendell Berry, "Like Snow"

Snow isn’t just complete in its coverage. As it descends, it gets the world to stop.

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Michael Chitwood, "Men Throwing Bricks"

What does happiness look like, feel like?

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Kay Ryan, "Blandeur"

...I’ve been to the Grand Canyon. What took me aback was how colorful it was. As if it were a source of rainbows within the Earth itself.

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Jane Hirshfield, "A Day Is Vast"

“A day is vast. / Until noon. / Then it’s over.”

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Kay Ryan, "Linens"

We believe in the behavior which looks positive. We believe so much that we find signs. Signs of something we wish was real.

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Deborah A. Bennett, "For the heart / very small things"

Charity, I’ve learned, is near meaningless without a charitable spirit.

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Robert Frost's "Mowing," or The Danger of an Uncritical Approach to Great Books

Welcome! Have Some Links Hi everyone-- I did not realize until now how many of you are activists. I've been fortunate to teach in classrooms where my students were open about the change they seek. It's so important to get students to talk to each other,

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Claire Needell, "Passage"

I've been staring at Claire Needell [https://twitter.com/claireneedell]'s poem "Passage" for a few days now. It's an incredible work of art, and I hope you'll join me in trying to respond to it. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I have hopes for

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Dorothy Aldis, "When I Was Lost"

I still walk nervous. I’ve done a lot to be calmer, to learn to breathe. Exercise, meditation, reflection. On a larger level: the ability to prioritize. But adulthood in this world, at this time, is a nonstop creation of traps. Whether I’m productive or not, expectations emerge from

kyla houbolt

Kyla Houbolt, "Slippery;" Emily Dickinson, "Your thoughts don't have words every day" (1452)

As Houbolt documents: “that thing I meant to say / slips out of my grasp again / I say something anyway.”

william bortz

William Bortz, "Piety"

Below, I offer a reading of William Bortz's poem "Piety." I am curious to hear about your experience with religion and how it impacts your thinking. ashok DOT raj DOT karra AT gmail.com. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- What is piety? It's not a word I use

yi lei

Yi Lei, "Postperpetual"

Note: I am going to be trying for the next few weeks to figure out how this format works. In this newsletter, I'm offering three things. First, a reading of a poem. Close attention to a few intricately woven words. Then, a prompt for those of you who