As I did last Memorial Day, I'm posting excerpts from poems that especially speak to me today. I hope you enjoy these, and will share some of your favorites in the comments. 1) "It is Dangerous to Read Newspapers" by Margaret Atwood (full text here): ...Now I am grownup and literate, and I sit in my … Continue reading Poems for Memorial Day
Category: Holidays
My Top Five Poems about Motherhood
With Mother's Day coming up next Sunday, I'm adding to last year's list of poems that I love about motherhood. Enjoy! 1) From "Thanking My Mother for Piano Lessons" by Diane Wakoski (full text here): I want to thank my mother for letting me wake her up sometimes at 6 in the morning when I … Continue reading My Top Five Poems about Motherhood
Spring Break: heading for the sea
With my older daughter home from school for the week, my mom and stepdad braved the long car drive down to the Outer Banks with me and the girls, for a few days in a hotel by the beach. Though the girls wanted to spend most of our visit at the indoor pool (and I … Continue reading Spring Break: heading for the sea
My Favorite Irish Poets
I won't be one of the many imbibing on St. Patrick's Day this Sunday. But as a fan of Irish poetry - at least that written in English - I wanted to share a few of my favorite moments. Contemporary Irish poet Eavan Boland beautifully extracts a place from its political past in "How … Continue reading My Favorite Irish Poets
Books and Chocolate
Sometime in December, I realized that in my immediate family, the gifts most appreciated are books, chocolate (either the solid or liquid variety), and gift cards (to buy more books and chocolate). I love the January routine of settling down with new books, under a blanket with an oversized red mug of hot chocolate (topped … Continue reading Books and Chocolate
Rejoicing
We have another reason to celebrate this season: although the Mayan calendar suggested that the world would end on Friday - the day of winter solstice - we continue as we were. I love how Timothy Steele brings the holidays and astronomy together in his contemporary holiday poem, "Toward the Winter Solstice." Here's an excerpt … Continue reading Rejoicing
Wallace Stevens’ Winter
With winter only a few weeks away, I started thinking of modern poet Wallace Stevens after reading Benjamin Glass's excellent commentary on the 32 Poems blog. Here's an excerpt: Perhaps I read Stevens this time of year because his poems reflect the only type of Christmas atmosphere I can endure: mostly solemn, mostly isolated, and … Continue reading Wallace Stevens’ Winter
Preempting the Holiday Blues, Part II: Simplicity
Yesterday Jeff and I went to see the new movie version of "Anna Karenina." Although I might have preferred a more traditional take on the novel (the movie kept pushing the concept of "life is a stage," which I feel has been done to death), the cinematography was sumptuous and the costumes luxe with pearls, … Continue reading Preempting the Holiday Blues, Part II: Simplicity
Preempting The Holiday Blues
Yesterday as we left my mother's house, where we spent the afternoon enjoying lunch and decorating her Christmas tree (yup, we don't waste any time...), my six-year-old daughter commented with great melancholy, "The holidays go by so fast." It was funny, but also sad that she felt that way while we were still enjoying Thanksgiving … Continue reading Preempting The Holiday Blues
