poems

Poetry – Day 22

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National Poetry Month continues, and this poem honors Rainer Maria Rilke.

Photo: Vincent Delsuc/Pexels

INITIATION

Whoever you are, go out into the evening,
leaving your room, of which you know each bit;
your house is the last before the infinite,
whoever you are.
Then with your eyes that wearily
scarce lift themselves from the worn-out door-stone
slowly you raise a shadowy black tree
and fix it on the sky: slender, alone.
And you have made the world (and it shall grow
and ripen as a word, unspoken, still).
When you have grasped its meaning with your will,
then tenderly your eyes will let it go …

~ Rainer Maria Rilke, 1906

Poetry – Day 6

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April is National Poetry Month. During the month, I will occasionally share poetry that speaks to me, hopefully, to you, too.

What Kind of Times Are These

There’s a place between two stands of trees where the grass grows uphill
and the old revolutionary road breaks off into shadows
near a meeting-house abandoned by the persecuted
who disappeared into those shadows.

I’ve walked there picking mushrooms at the edge of dread, but don’t be fooled
this isn’t a Russian poem, this is not somewhere else but here,
our country moving closer to its own truth and dread,
its own ways of making people disappear.

I won’t tell you where the place is, the dark mesh of the woods
meeting the unmarked strip of light—
ghost-ridden crossroads, leafmold paradise:
I know already who wants to buy it, sell it, make it disappear.

And I won’t tell you where it is, so why do I tell you
anything? Because you still listen, because in times like these
to have you listen at all, it’s necessary
to talk about trees.

– Adrienne Rich, 1991

Photo by Jen Theodore/Unsplash

Being Kind

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You don’t want to hear the story
of my life, and anyway
I don’t want to tell it, I want to listen

to the enormous waterfalls of the sun.

And anyway
it’s the same old story —
a few people just trying,
one way or another,
to survive.

Mostly, I want to be kind.

– Mary Oliver

Poetry Month, Part 2 – April 2024

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It’s still April, and it’s still National Poetry Month. I’ve selected three more poems that I like, created some graphics, and hope you enjoy them, too.

Robert Frost is another of our great American poets, and for this post, I read quite a few of his, most unknown to me, and loved this one, Come In.”

How could it truly be poetry month without a love poem or two? The first, “Falling Stars”, is written by Austrian poet, Raine Maria Rilke, who published in German, and changed the way poetry was written and expressed.

Tyler Knott Gregson is a modern day American poet and author who first began to achieve fame for his poetry on social media in 2009.

All things are possible. Hope you enjoyed the poetry!

Poetry Month – April 2024

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I love poetry. You? April is National Poetry Month, so I thought I’d share the occasional poem that I prepared some graphics for. There may be more, but this is what I’m posting so far.

I don’t know if we could have a proper national poetry month here without our wonderful American poet, Emily Dickinson.

A love poem of sorts by another great American writer, poet and novelist, Alice Walker.

Okay, it’s true — Tennessee Williams is a playwright, but this seems like poetry to me, so I took a small liberty.

Wherever you live, why not find some poetry this month – fill your heart with gladness, sorrow, life, love – some poetry.