Do You Ever Wish You Could find More Poetry?

I am lucky enough to have a wonderful library of poets to turn to. I have shelves full of anthologies as well as individual collections, but I often wish I had more works of contemporary poets.

There are two websites I often turn to when looking for more information on poets or their works. If you you haven't seen them I recommend you take a look.

Poets.org   &   PoetryFoundation.org

Both sites are chock full of, not only poetry, but also a wealth of information on the authors and their lives. I've learned a lot from both of these sites, and have even been surprised a few times.

Role Models Are Important

Quote of the Day

Deserves it! I daresay he does. Many that live deserve death. And some that die deserve life. Can you give it to them? Then do not be too eager to deal out death in judgement. For even the very wise cannot see all ends.

  - J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring

Sympathy

- Paul Laurence Dunbar

 

I know what the caged bird feels, alas!

    When the sun is bright on the upland slopes;   

When the wind stirs soft through the springing grass,   

And the river flows like a stream of glass;

    When the first bird sings and the first bud opes,   

And the faint perfume from its chalice steals—

I know what the caged bird feels!

I know why the caged bird beats his wing

    Till its blood is red on the cruel bars;   

For he must fly back to his perch and cling   

When he fain would be on the bough a-swing;

    And a pain still throbs in the old, old scars   

And they pulse again with a keener sting—

I know why he beats his wing!

I know why the caged bird sings, ah me,

    When his wing is bruised and his bosom sore,—

When he beats his bars and he would be free;

It is not a carol of joy or glee,

    But a prayer that he sends from his heart’s deep core,   

But a plea, that upward to Heaven he flings—

I know why the caged bird sings!

from: Twentieth-Century American Poetry, Copyright 2004.

Kilt Monday!

'Cause let's face it,

Mondays can be so rough, hard, difficult.

MOMA Is Online!

Hey! Guess what!  . . .

The Museum of Modern Art Has Released, Online, Every Exhibit Since 1929, Free!

Putting their exhibits online enables many people to experience them who wouldn't otherwise be able. It also allows for repeat visits and, if something catches your eye, a little fangirling (or fanboying).

It's A Garden Party!

This feature, originally known as Saturday Farmer's Market, was created by Heather at Capricious Reader, and was then hosted by Chris at Stuff as Dreams are Made on.

If anyone would like to share their own gardening adventures with me 
- large or small, inside or out -
 I would love to see them.

Just leave a link to your post in the comments.

~

Oranges!

Last year our little three and a half foot Orange tree gave us, what was for it, a bumper crop. We picked seven lovely, sweet Oranges. This year the tree has only four. My reading tells me that it is a natural cycle for trees to alternate large and small harvests.

Here you can see another California Poppy sprouting next to an Agave. It isn't ready to bloom yet and I wonder how long into Fall/Winter they will persist. Maybe they'll make it all the way to next Spring.

I found this little Dragonfly nestled in the Bougainvillea when I went out to water early Wednesday morning. You can't tell from the picture, but he was about six inches long and had a wing span a little longer. It was about fifty degrees and he wasn't really feeling like getting up. He stayed there for another couple of hours then left. I guess everyone slows down when the weather cools.

The dragonfly
can't quite land
on that blade of grass.

- Matsuo Basho

Are You Looking to Diversify Your Reading a Bit?

I'd like to thank E. Ce Miller for this great list of poets.

Her post on Bustle, {12 New Must-Read Poetry Collections By Poets Of Color}, offers something for everyone.

I've been trying to diversify my own reading list and intend to work my way through this list.

She provides a review of each book, a cover picture, and a link to buy it. Some of the choices are:

* How Much We Must Have Looked Like Stars To Stars by Alysia Nicole Harris 

* Unbearable Splendor by Sun Yung Shin *

* The Black Maria by Aracelis Girmay *

* Landscape with Headless Mama: Poems by Jennifer Givhan *

* Blackacre: Poems by Monica Youn *

* Olio by Tyehimba Jess *

Click on the {name of the article above} to read her post and start something new. Happy reading. Oh, please come back and share your thoughts on what you read. I'd love to hear them.