Hey, I don't know where this fits, exactly. Under non-fiction might be the closest. I read Indigo's intro, noted that she likes poets, and then realized that is the first mention in the forum I've seen of poetry. Another thing I realized a while ago is the internet is a great resource for poetry. You don't have to own every anthology in the world, but instead can often find single poems just by searching. Anyone have favorite lines they want to share? That's one way to go about it. This may be a mark of oddness, I don't know, but as I walk along the backroads and trails this spring, I recite aloud the first 33 lines of The Canterbury Tales in Middle English, as enjoined on me by a Prof. Smith about 35 years ago. You know, "Whan that April with his showres soote/The droughte of March hath perced to the roote"... Great stuff! And NOT controversial! Poetry seems to be somehow the quintessential literature of spring as well.
But I offer these instead, from Robert Frost. (Indigo, I'm probably a wee bit more old-fashioned than you.) You can look up the full text of this plain-spoken yet rather strange poem on the 'net.
From "Directive"
"Back out of all this now too much for us,
Back in a time made simple by the loss
Of detail, burned, dissolved, and broken off
Like graveyard marble sculpture in the weather,
There is a house that is no more a house
Upon a farm that is no more a farm
And in a town that is no more a town.
The road there, if you'll let a guide direct you
Who only has at heart your getting lost,
May seem as if it should have been a quarry--
Great monolithic knees the former town
Long since gave up pretense of keeping covered."
I'll give away the ending, hoping you'll be curious about what comes in between:
"Here are your waters and your watering place.
Drink and be whole again beyond confusion."
-
In total there are 7 users online :: 0 registered, 0 hidden and 7 guests (based on users active over the past 60 minutes)
Most users ever online was 1086 on Mon Jul 01, 2024 9:03 am
Poetry?
Forum rules
Do not promote books in this forum. Instead, promote your books in either Authors: Tell us about your FICTION book! or Authors: Tell us about your NON-FICTION book!.
All other Community Rules apply in this and all other forums.
Do not promote books in this forum. Instead, promote your books in either Authors: Tell us about your FICTION book! or Authors: Tell us about your NON-FICTION book!.
All other Community Rules apply in this and all other forums.
- DWill
-
- BookTalk.org Hall of Fame
- Posts: 6966
- Joined: Thu Jan 31, 2008 8:05 am
- 16
- Location: Luray, Virginia
- Has thanked: 2262 times
- Been thanked: 2470 times
- Saffron
-
- I can has reading?
- Posts: 2954
- Joined: Tue Apr 01, 2008 8:37 pm
- 16
- Location: Randolph, VT
- Has thanked: 474 times
- Been thanked: 399 times
DWill:
Current favorite lines are from Mary Oliver's Wild Geese
You do not have to be good.
You do not have to walk on your knees
for a hundred miles through the desert, repenting.
You only have to let the soft animal of your body
love what it loves.
Tell me about despair, yours, and I will tell you mine.
My favorite to read out loud is The Tyger by William Blake
Tyger! tyger! burning bright
In the forest of the night,
What immortal hand or eye
Could frame thy fearful symmetry?
DWill:
Pardon me, but does posting a John Donne poem count?Hey, I don't know where this fits, exactly. Under non-fiction might be the closest. I read Indigo's intro, noted that she likes poets, and then realized that is the first mention in the forum I've seen of poetry.
Current favorite lines are from Mary Oliver's Wild Geese
You do not have to be good.
You do not have to walk on your knees
for a hundred miles through the desert, repenting.
You only have to let the soft animal of your body
love what it loves.
Tell me about despair, yours, and I will tell you mine.
My favorite to read out loud is The Tyger by William Blake
Tyger! tyger! burning bright
In the forest of the night,
What immortal hand or eye
Could frame thy fearful symmetry?
DWill:
I'd like to witness that!but as I walk along the backroads and trails this spring, I recite aloud the first 33 lines of The Canterbury Tales in Middle English,
Last edited by Saffron on Thu Apr 24, 2008 6:30 am, edited 2 times in total.
- Saffron
-
- I can has reading?
- Posts: 2954
- Joined: Tue Apr 01, 2008 8:37 pm
- 16
- Location: Randolph, VT
- Has thanked: 474 times
- Been thanked: 399 times
Oh, and I forgot about W.C.Williams -
This is Just to say
I have eaten
the plums
that were in
the icebox
and which
you were probably
saving
for breakfast
Forgive me
they were delicious
so sweet
and so cold
(This poem makes me think of kisses. I think because eating a very ripe juicy piece of fruit always makes me think of kisses and I know this poem was written to his wife)
This is Just to say
I have eaten
the plums
that were in
the icebox
and which
you were probably
saving
for breakfast
Forgive me
they were delicious
so sweet
and so cold
(This poem makes me think of kisses. I think because eating a very ripe juicy piece of fruit always makes me think of kisses and I know this poem was written to his wife)
- President Camacho
-
- I Should Be Bronzed
- Posts: 1655
- Joined: Sat Apr 12, 2008 1:44 pm
- 16
- Location: Hampton, Ga
- Has thanked: 246 times
- Been thanked: 314 times
Ok D, I don't know any poetry but I didn't want to be left out.
So I started thinking and decided to try and make up my own poem. I went online and found the rules to make up poems are far more complicated than just making rhymes. These directions from ehow.com on how to write a haiku poem look the easiest!
Step 1: Think about a theme for your haiku and write down some of the words that come to mind on that theme.
Step2: Organize your thoughts roughly onto three lines. First, set the scene, then expand on that by expressing a feeling, making an observation or recording an action. Keep it simple.
Step3: Polish your haiku into three lines, the first with five syllables, the second line with seven syllables and the third line with five syllables. It may take some time and substitution of words to make it fit.
1. I have my theme
So I started thinking and decided to try and make up my own poem. I went online and found the rules to make up poems are far more complicated than just making rhymes. These directions from ehow.com on how to write a haiku poem look the easiest!
Step 1: Think about a theme for your haiku and write down some of the words that come to mind on that theme.
Step2: Organize your thoughts roughly onto three lines. First, set the scene, then expand on that by expressing a feeling, making an observation or recording an action. Keep it simple.
Step3: Polish your haiku into three lines, the first with five syllables, the second line with seven syllables and the third line with five syllables. It may take some time and substitution of words to make it fit.
1. I have my theme
DWill -
Oh, I do enjoy poetry so much and, as you say, you can find just about anything on the internet. The Library of Congress has a great website for poetry.
My favorites? So many, but I do enjoy reading Rudyard Kipling, Emily Dickinson (have you ever seen Julie Harris in her one-woman show, The Belle of Amherst? It's on DVD and I think you'd enjoy it), Robert Frost, Whitman, Millay, and on and on . . .
Richard Cory is one of my very favorites; I've memorized it but it's not exactly the poem to recite while walking along your backroads and trails - then my thoughts go, unfortunately, to "there once was a lad from Nantucket."
And I've enjoyed all the poems cited by others in reply to your initial post - keep 'em coming.
And Invictus. And If. Have you ever heard of this one, Lana Turner Died Today?
Ralph
Oh, I do enjoy poetry so much and, as you say, you can find just about anything on the internet. The Library of Congress has a great website for poetry.
My favorites? So many, but I do enjoy reading Rudyard Kipling, Emily Dickinson (have you ever seen Julie Harris in her one-woman show, The Belle of Amherst? It's on DVD and I think you'd enjoy it), Robert Frost, Whitman, Millay, and on and on . . .
Richard Cory is one of my very favorites; I've memorized it but it's not exactly the poem to recite while walking along your backroads and trails - then my thoughts go, unfortunately, to "there once was a lad from Nantucket."
And I've enjoyed all the poems cited by others in reply to your initial post - keep 'em coming.
And Invictus. And If. Have you ever heard of this one, Lana Turner Died Today?
Ralph
- Theomanic
-
- Agrees that Reading is Fundamental
- Posts: 298
- Joined: Fri Jan 04, 2008 2:34 pm
- 16
- Location: Toronto, ON
- Has thanked: 4 times
- Been thanked: 24 times
My favourite poet is Charles Bukowski, though by and large I don't read a lot of poetry. I really liked his "Septuagenarian Stew" collection.
Here is a pretty good little sample of his work:
"These Things"
these things that we support most well
have nothing to do with up,
and we do with them
out of boredom or fear or money
or cracked intelligence;
our circle and our candle of light
being small,
so small we cannot bear it,
we heave out with Idea
and lose the Center:
all wax without the wick,
and we see names that once meant
wisdom,
like signs into ghost towns,
and only the graves are real.
Here is a pretty good little sample of his work:
"These Things"
these things that we support most well
have nothing to do with up,
and we do with them
out of boredom or fear or money
or cracked intelligence;
our circle and our candle of light
being small,
so small we cannot bear it,
we heave out with Idea
and lose the Center:
all wax without the wick,
and we see names that once meant
wisdom,
like signs into ghost towns,
and only the graves are real.
"Beware those who are always reading books" - The Genius of the Crowd, by Charles Bukowski
Re: Poetry?
Actually, I'm quite the fan of the "modern poets," and I like Frost well enough although he's not my favorite.DWill wrote: But I offer these instead, from Robert Frost. (Indigo, I'm probably a wee bit more old-fashioned than you.) You can look up the full text of this plain-spoken yet rather strange poem on the 'net.
![Smile :smile:](https://www.booktalk.org/images/smilies/icon_smile.gif)
Also, thank you for starting a thread on poetry! I always love recommendations for good poets.
Here's a bit from "At Baia," by H.D.:
You never sent (in a dream)
the very form, the very scent,
not heavy, not sensuous,
but perilous--perilous--
of orchids, piled in a great sheath,
and folded underneath on a bright scroll,
some word:
[and the end]
"Lover to lover, no kiss,
no touch, but forever and ever this."
(for the rest: http://www.poets.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/15447)
Saffron: The lines from "Separation" are amazing--I'm going to have to read more by W.S. Merwin.
![Smile :smile:](https://www.booktalk.org/images/smilies/icon_smile.gif)
indigo~
One more, because I can't help myself, and because I can't believe I forgot to include Frank O'Hara on my favorite poets list before. ![Very Happy :D](https://www.booktalk.org/images/smilies/icon_biggrin.gif)
from "Why I Am Not a Painter," Frank O'Hara
But me? One day I am thinking of
a color: orange. I write a line
about orange. Pretty soon it is a
whole page of words, not lines.
Then another page. There should be
so much more, not of orange, of
words, of how terrible orange is
and life. Days go by. It is even in
prose, I am a real poet. My poem
is finished and I haven't mentioned
orange yet....
(the rest: http://plagiarist.com/poetry/?wid=850)
![Very Happy :D](https://www.booktalk.org/images/smilies/icon_biggrin.gif)
from "Why I Am Not a Painter," Frank O'Hara
But me? One day I am thinking of
a color: orange. I write a line
about orange. Pretty soon it is a
whole page of words, not lines.
Then another page. There should be
so much more, not of orange, of
words, of how terrible orange is
and life. Days go by. It is even in
prose, I am a real poet. My poem
is finished and I haven't mentioned
orange yet....
(the rest: http://plagiarist.com/poetry/?wid=850)
indigo~