kamiel79

Reading: November by Jane Shore

Jane Shore (b. 1947) is an American poet with a unique voice, often expressing her Jewish heritage. Don't confuse her with a love of King Edward IV :) I found a funny poem entitled 'November': November My north-exposed begonia the first frost got to, spunky in its porcelain pot splays out like spokes of an ...

Poetry is a kind of distilled insinuation. It’s a way of expanding and talking around an idea or a question. Sometimes, more actually gets said through such a technique than a full frontal assault. - Yusef Komunyakaa

Reading: Blood Oranges by Lisel Mueller

Today I read a poem by Lisel Mueller (b. 1924), another Pulitzer Prize-winning poet (in 1996, for her poetry collection Alive together), born in Germany who emigrated to the US as a child. She wrote a famous poem about 'things', but I prefer this one: Blood Oranges In 1936, a child in Hitler's Germany, what ...

We say to 'rise' to fame and to 'fall' in love. Correction. We fall in fame and we rise to love.

Reading: From Endings by Mona van Duyn

Today's poem is by American poet Mona van Duyn (1921-2004) who won all important literary prizes in America and presided over a unique literary circle in St. Louis, Missouri. I picked a poem with a typical 'Van Duyn' touch: From Endings Setting the V.C.R. when we go to bed to record a night owl movie, ...

Framing

Afgelopen donderdag was mijn dochtertje Miru voor de vijfde keer jarig. Wij vierden dat met een copieus middagmaal in een stijlvol Salad & Grill restaurant waar we ons tegoed deden aan het riante buffet van pizza, gorgonzolapasta, mosselen, geroosterde eend, potato wedges, grapefruitsalade, chocoladefondue, en een keur aan dranken. Het décor bestond uit popmuziekhelden en ...

Reading: Afterwards by Philip Schultz

Philip Schultz (b. 1945) won the Pulitzer Prize for poetry with a collection called 'Failure'. To him, that failure referred to the relative failure of his alter ego the novelist, who finally gave in to the poet, under one condition: the subtitle of the book is 'a novel in verse'. Here is a poem called ...

Reading: Wolves by Louis Macneice

Louis MacNeice (1907-1963) was a modern British poet who had studied philosophy. He caught pneumonia while inspecting a mine shaft for its sound quality - what a way to go. Here is 'wolves': Wolves I do not want to be reflective any more Envying and despising unreflective things Finding pathos in dogs and undeveloped handwriting ...

Reading: In the Midnight Hour by Charles Wright

Charles Wright (b. 1935) is of course 'one of the best poets of his generation'. Raised in rural Tennessee. Influenced by Ezra Pound. Many prizes. I learn that is poetry forms a complex whole, so we are looking at a fragment here: In the midnight hour This, too, is an old story, yet It is ...