Tag Archives: poetry

John Keats wrote this wonderful sonnet, not about Homer, but about reading a specific translation of Homer. This fascinates me. The poem is also a powerful statement on how a great work of art can transform our perceptions, even of … Continue reading →

We’re down to the last seven days of National Poetry Month, so why not a bit of the Bard? From Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare Sigh no more, ladies, sigh no more.      Men were deceivers ever, One … Continue reading →

Here’s a lovely poem about a train. Or is it? Still Life by Carl Sandburg Cool your heels on the rail of an observation car. Let the engineer open her up for ninety miles an hour. Take in the prairie … Continue reading →

Wow, we’re coming into the home stretch. I wonder just what percentage of poetry can be accurately classified as “love poetry”. I assume it’s a pretty large percent, but who knows. It would be an impossible task to identify every … Continue reading →

This poem seems to be about one thing…but when you reflect on when it was written (April, 1919), you realize that it’s actually very much about something else. Everyone Sang by Siegfried Sassoon Everyone suddenly burst out singing; And I … Continue reading →

Poetry can be many things. It can even be political, as can be seen in this poem by Charles Bukowski. the con job by Charles Bukowski the ground war began today at dawn in a desert land far from here. … Continue reading →

Anything can be a subject of a poem! Why not food? The Health-Food Diner by Maya Angelou No sprouted wheat and soya shoots And Brussels in a cake, Carrot straw and spinach raw, (Today, I need a steak). Not thick … Continue reading →

All the world writes poetry, so it makes sense that one should read poems from all the world. Doing so is yet another way to remind oneself that no matter where humans live, no matter which gods they worship or … Continue reading →

A longer poem today, but the poet who may be my favorite of all time: Alfred, Lord Tennyson. His work often has a mystical, fantastic tone that appeals to me, and his language is old enough to feel like I’m … Continue reading →

Wow, we’re now on the back half of the month! So a brief post today about that wonderful form, usually used to comic (and sometimes bawdy) effect, the limerick. The limerick packs laughs anatomical Into space that is quite economical. … Continue reading →