A YEAR IN POEMS 5/18/2021

 “Do not go gentle into that good night,Old age should burn and rave at close of day;Rage, rage against the dying of the light.” Dylan Thomas, “Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night”I think of this poem as a counter balance to Fern Hill, where at the end, the...

A YEAR IN POEMS 5/17/2021

 “The unconsecrated foe entered my courts,Placed his unwashed hands upon me,And caused me to tremble.Putting forth his handHe smote me with fear.” Babylonian Cuneiform, “Ishtar” (transl by Lewis Spence)Translation of ancient texts, especially in languages...

A YEAR IN POEMS 5/15/2021

 “You want so badly to tell how it’s doneThat you tell it to yourself each night before sleep,Narrating a film that no one will see,The sound of the rain like the beating of wings,The applause you receive for keeping the secret.” Paul Tayyar, “The...

A YEAR IN POEMS 5/14/2021

   “The Naming of Cats is a difficult matter,It isn’t just one of your holiday games;You may think at first I’m as mad as a hatterWhen I tell you, a cat must have THREE DIFFERENT NAMES.” TS Eliot, “The Naming of Cats”It is unclear how much life this...

A YEAR IN POEMS 5/13/2021

   “In the end,it was nothing morethan the toy boat of a boyon the local park’s lake,where I walked with you. But I knelt downto watch it arrive,its white sail shywith amber light,the late sunbronzing the wavethat lifted it up, my ship coming inwith its...