-
How to Read Poetry Like a Professor
Title: How to Read Poetry Like a Professor: A Quippy and Sonorous Guide to Verse Author: Thomas C. Foster Published: New York: Harper Perennial, 2018 I recently read his book How to Read Novels Like a Professor, so this is my next Foster installment. I was not disappointed. He continues to educate in a light-hearted manner. Poetry is just a little different as in many can read a novel and for the most part jump right in with one go and get the gist of it. But poetry is a different animal. Personally, I love poetry. Foster explores the definition of poetry, how it “uses language to take us to a place beyond language… and reading poetry requires more than just your brain.”[1] Now this doesnt really give us a definition of poetry, but it gives you the idea that were dealing with a different type of animal. Poetry is almost a different language, or it can appear that way. I like to see it going beyond language. I do agree with Foster that it is best to read poetry out loud. Especially when first starting out with a new poem. Also, a good piece of advice he gives is…
-
Selected Poems of Matthew Arnold
This is a selection of poems from the English poet Matthew Arnold (1822-88). This is my first time reading a collection of Arnold’s work. The book breaks up the poems into four sections: early poems, narrative poems, sonnets, and lyric and elegiac poems. I believe when you read a person’s literary works, you get an idea of who the writer is. This is especially true of poetry. I get the sense of longing for what might have been that was not: a traveler looking for answers. His Scholar-Gipsy epitomizes this feeling I get of who Arnold was. Reading the collection, I get the sense that he was a determined and strongly dedicated man. He believed in lofty ideals and hoped fervently for justice to prevail. However, his Idealism was tempered with the reality of how things usually turn out. Many of his writings deal with travelers and customs. The characters experience a crisis of choice that must be made and it does not end in a fairy tale ending, but rather a realistic view. Of his early poems, I particularly enjoyed Stagirius . The narrative poem Sohrab and Rustum tells a father and son story of how fate can be…
-
Writing poetry on demand
Here I sit, pen in hand Writing poetry on demand Some is good, some is bad Depending on what drink I’ve had Root beer, tea, or ginger ale, Each of these makes it fizzy Others make it sound so stale Weaving words makes me dizzy Rhyming is a lot of work Lists of words in your head Worth it though for a smirk When the poem at last is read. April is National Poetry Month. If you’d like to read poems by other budding poets, honor the folks at NaPoWriMo.net with a visit, and peruse their participants’ sites.
-
The Right to Say It
Desolation is all around No consolation to be found An empty desk before my eyes “Papa est parti.” a young girl cries Men who twist a Prophets words Turn sublime into absurd A soulful journey is undertaken My faith in man to reawaken A million candles do I see Lit in honour of Charlie Whether or not I agree with what you say, you still have the right to say it.
-
Thinking summer, feeling winter
The skies are cold and gray, The snow refuses to fall I miss the days of May And the sound of the red bird’s call Winter is making me yawn I long for springtime heat Walking across the lawn With flowers at my feet A gentle wind will blow While I’m relaxing in the sun But now I’ve got to go My toes are feeling numb
-
Someone Else’s Poem
If I were put on the spot and had to recite someone else’s poem, the only one that comes to mind quickly is one I read in a book from the 1800’s. I don’t know the name of the author. The poem can speak for itself. Sin is a beast of such hideous mien As to be hated needs but to be seen. But seen too oft familiar its face We first endure, then pity, then embrace.
-
In This Book
In this short book you will find Attempts at poems on every line Some for fun some to inspire And lift you up when you tire Will you like them, I cannot say But that you read them I do pray
-
A Short Interlude
Quiet fields of green And the water so clean Clear, crisp and cool Flowing gently to a pool. Warm sunshine on my back. Following a dirt track As I take a stroll So healthy for my soul Melodies wafting through the air Recalling friends no longer there Remind me to return To get some sweet kisses From the one who misses Me during my sojourn. I’ve run out of time To wander ‘midst the pine.
-
No Thanks, I’ll Pass
There are some things I will not eat That others think are such a treat I do not understand their thoughts What they enjoy leaves me distraught The morsels they desire most Are nothing about which to boast It just does not seem right to me That these things are delicacies
-
Night Sky over the Duck Pond
The moon climbs high into the night The sun has gone to bed I’ve a long walk home in fading light To rest my tired head The stars reflecting on the pond Set my mind at ease As though the sky itself was fond Of strolling ‘mongst the trees
