52nd Virtual Poetry Circle
It is July 4th weekend, already! I cannot believe how time flies. And as it flies, time to enter a bunch of my international and US/Canada giveaways is running out. I hope you'll check those out in the right sidebar.
Also, I'm hosting a poll about whether you think my reviews need ratings or not. I've been toying with the idea of creating a unique rating system for my blog. Take a second and let me know what you think.
Ok, now that all the housekeeping is out of the way, let's get to the 52nd Virtual Poetry Circle.
Remember, this is just for fun and is not meant to be stressful.
Keep in mind what Molly Peacock’s books suggested. Look at a line, a stanza, sentences, and images; describe what you like or don’t like; and offer an opinion. If you missed my review of her book, check it out here.
We're checking out a contemporary poet today. I wanted to introduce you to the poet Tony Hoagland, and selected the following poem from his latest collection Unincorporated Persons in the Late Honda Dynasty:
Description (from page 3)
A bird with a cry like a cell phone says something to a bird which sounds like a manual typewriter.
Out of sight in the woods, the creek trickles its ongoing sentence; from treble to baritone,
from dependent clause to interrogative.
The trees rustle over the house: they are excited to be entering the poem
in late afternoon, when the clouds are creamy and massive, as if to illustrate contentment.
And maybe a wind will pluck off the last dead leaves; and a cold rain will splash
dainty white petals from the crab apple tree down to the ground,
the pink and the brown mingled there, like two different messages scribbled over each other.
In all of this a place must be reserved for human suffering:
the sick and unloved, the chemically confused; the ones who believe desperately in insight; the ones addicted to change.
How our thoughts clawed and pummeled the walls. How we tried but could not find our way out.
In the wake of our effort, how we rested. How description was the sign of our acceptance. Let me know your thoughts, ideas, feelings, impressions. Let’s have a great discussion…pick a line, pick an image, pick a sentence.
I’ve you missed the other Virtual Poetry Circles, check them out here. It’s never too late to join the discussion.