Spanish (by Carl Sandburg)
31 Saturday Mar 2012
Posted 1900s, American, Poetry, Sandburg (Carl)
in31 Saturday Mar 2012
Posted 1900s, American, Poetry, Sandburg (Carl)
in30 Friday Mar 2012
Posted 1900s, African American, American, Dunbar (Paul Laurence), Poetry
in
Paul Laurence Dunbar, 1872-1906
By the Stream
by Paul Laurence Dunbar
[from Lyrics of Lowly Life, 1896]
By the stream I dream in calm delight, and watch as in a glass,
How the clouds like crowds of snowy-hued and white-robed maidens pass,
And the water into ripples breaks and sparkles as it spreads,
Like a host of armored knights with silver helmets on their heads.
And I deem the stream an emblem fit of human life may go,
For I find a mind may sparkle much and yet but shallows show,
And a soul may glow with myriad lights and wonderous mysteries,
When it only lies a dormant thing and mirrors what it sees.
28 Wednesday Mar 2012
Posted 2000s, American, Mahoney (Donal), Poetry
inDonal Mahoney lives in St. Louis, Missouri. His poetry and fiction have appeared in a variety of publications in North America, Europe, Asia and Africa. Some of his early poems, written between 1965 and 1971, can be found at http://booksonblog12.blogspot.com/.
Honeydew Sherbet
by Donal Mahoney
Down the patio walk,
white stones, through the garden,
under the trellis toward me
yellow frock, yellow hair
rising and falling
I lie in my lawn chair,
spoon honeydew sherbet, sip
pink ade from a tall glass,
cubes circling
She is almost upon me
I look up and I tell her
I have sand, sea, skies, laughs,
all paid for and nothing
nothing at all to do.
* * *
26 Monday Mar 2012
Posted 1900s, American, Poetry, Pound (Ezra)
in
Marvoil
by Ezra Pound
from Personae (published in 1909 by Faber and Faber)
24 Saturday Mar 2012
Posted 1800s, African American, American, Dunbar (Paul Laurence), Poetry
in
Paul Laurence Dunbar, 1872-1906
The Dilettante: A Modern Type
by Paul Laurence Dunbar
[from Lyrics of Lowly Life, 1896]
He scribbles some in prose and verse,
And now and then he prints it;
He paints a little,–gathers some
Of Nature’s gold and mints it.
He plays a little, sings a song,
Acts tragic roles, or funny;
He does, because his love is strong,
But not, oh, not for money!
He studies almost everything
From social art to science;
A thirsty mind, a flowing spring,
Demand and swift compliance.
He looms above the sordid crowd–
At least through friendly lenses;
While his mamma looks pleased and proud,
And kindly pays expenses.
22 Thursday Mar 2012
Posted 2000s, American, Mahoney (Donal), Poetry
in
Lines for a Female Psychiatrist
by Donal Mahoney
Perhaps when I’m better I’ll discover
you aren’t married, after all,
and I should be better by Spring.
On that day I’ll walk
down Michigan Avenue
and up again along the Lake,
my back to the wind, facing you,
my black raincoat buttoned to the neck,
my collar a castle wall
around my crew cut growing in.
Do you remember the first hour?
I sat there unshaven,
a Martian drummed from his planet,
ordered never to return.
With your legs crossed,
you smoked the longest cigarette
and blinked like a child when I said,
“I’m distracted by your knee.”
The first six months you smoked
four cigarettes a session
as I prayed out my litany of escapades,
each detail etched perfectly in place.
The day we finally changed chairs
and I became the patient
and you the doctor,
you knew that I didn’t know
where I had been,
where I was then,
and even though my hair
had begun to grow in
how far I’d have to go
before I could begin.
Donal Mahoney lives in St. Louis, Missouri. His poetry and fiction have appeared in a variety of publications in North America, Europe, Asia and Africa. Some of his early poems, written between 1965 and 1971, can be found at http://booksonblog12.blogspot.com/.
21 Wednesday Mar 2012
Posted 1900s, British, Irish, Poetry, Yeats (William Butler)
inTo a Friend Whose Work Has Come to Nothing
Yeats [by George Charles Beresford, 1911]
by William Butler Yeats
from Responsibilities [1914]
19 Monday Mar 2012
Posted 1900s, American, Poetry, Sandburg (Carl)
in18 Sunday Mar 2012
Posted 2000s, American, Poetry, Schmidt (Heather Ann)
in The Reminder I feel Lou Hoover’s ghost walk with me
as I go under the arch
and see their names
recalling Tientsin.
And I remember leafing through the pages of
her diary from that June.
their bravery reminding me
that today it is good to dance in the rain,
lifting my arms up to the sky,
expecting a starling to land on my palm
creating the opportunity for an
impromptu duet.
* * * * *
Heather Ann Schmidt has taught writing and more for several institutions of higher learning in Michigan and online. Her most recent poetry books are The Bat’s Love Song: American Haiku (2009, Crisis Chronicles), On Recalling Life Through the Eye of the Needle [2011, Village Green], Transient Angels [2011, Crisis Chronicles] and Batik [2012, NightBallet]. She is also the founding editor and publisher for Recycled Karma Press. Heather’s forthcoming collections include Red Hibiscus and Field Notes. Find more at http://heatherannschmidt.yolasite.com.
17 Saturday Mar 2012
Posted 1800s, African American, American, Dunbar (Paul Laurence), Poetry
in
Paul Laurence Dunbar, 1872-1906
A Negro Love Song
by Paul Laurence Dunbar
[from Lyrics of Lowly Life, 1896]
Seen my lady home las’ night,
Jump back, honey, jump back.
Hel’ huh han’ an’ sque’z it tight,
Jump back, honey, jump back.
Hyeahd huh sigh a little sigh,
Seen a light gleam f’om huh eye,
An’ a smile go flittin’ by–
Jump back, honey, jump back.
Hyeahd de win’ blow thoo de pine,
Jump back, honey, jump back.
Mockin’-bird was singin’ fine,
Jump back, honey, jump back.
An’ my hea’t was beatin’ so,
When I reached my lady’s do’,
Dat I couldn’t ba’ to go–
Jump back, honey, jump back.
Put my ahm aroun’ huh wais’,
Jump back, honey, jump back.
Raised huh lips an’ took a tase,
Jump back, honey, jump back.
Love me, honey, love me true?
Love me well ez I love you?
An’ she answe’d, “‘Cose I do”–
Jump back, honey, jump back.