Poems I Like (1)

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A Part Song, Adelle, Afghan, American, Ancient Music, Anglo-Saxon, Appollinaire, articles, baby, Blogosphere, blogs, Blue Sky Infinite, Brazen Butternut Squash, British, Coleridge, Daddy, daughter, Denise Riley, Dorothea Lasky, Edward Thomas, Edwin Thumboo, Elaine Westheimer, Enlightenment, ethnicity, Ezra Pound, feelings, Fish Loon, French, ice, ideas, Island, Iza Trapani, Jessy Randall, Karin Boye, Kubla Khan, Le Pont Mirabeau, Lost and Found, Man and Dog, medieval, My God, Natasha Trethewey, Nazim Hikmet Ran, October, October Baby, Pennine Way, philosophy, Poet Laureate, poetry, Rainbow Girl, river, Sara Teasdale, selfhood, September 24th 1945, Simon Armitage, Singaporean, Spring, Sumer Is Icomen In, Swedish, Sylvia Plath, The Bridal Morn, The Consultant, The Look, The Seafarer, The Undertow, Tin and Rust, Tony Harrison, truth, Turkish, v, walk, Weasel Mornings, Writing Without Paper, Yes of Course It Hurts

Here is a round up of some of the poetry I’ve recently enjoyed online. The criteria for appearing here is very simple, being a) it’s something I recently stumbled across; and b) I liked it and thought it worth sharing!

First up, here is an absolute beauty of a poem by the Swedish poet Karin Boye. It’s called Yes, Of Course It Hurts, and uses the moment of the ice breaking and melting in early Spring to wonderful effect. An instant favourite with me!

I’ve enjoyed two poems by Ezra Pound which are re-workings of old medieval originals. The first is The Seafarer, which is an updated version of the Anglo-Saxon poem of the same name. The second is called Ancient Music and is a humorous take on the thirteenth century Sumer Is Icomen In. Oh, and while we’re on the subject of medieval poetry, I’d also recommend The Bridal Morn – you’ll be reciting the refrain from this one all day!

A couple of poems that really reward a bit of time and re-reading next. Here is a powerful poem by Denise Riley, called A Part Song, about trying to capture feelings and moments in words – it’s very raw. And I’d also recommend Man and Dog by Edward Thomas – the more you read it, the more it will bring you to tears.

Natasha Trethewey, the new US poet laureate, is not someone I’ve read but she is well known for tackling the topic of ethnicity and more specifically her personal experience of being the daughter of mixed parentage. The poem Enlightenment is a bombshell and certainly makes me want to read more.

Next, I came across this poem by the French poet Guillaume Appollinaire. It’s called Le Pont Mirabeau and is worth reading alone for the wonderful line ‘love goes away the way this river flows away’. That’s what poetry is all about isn’t it? Beautiful! I also think everyone will enjoy the short poem The Look by Sara Teasdale. You can really feel the pain of love lost in this one.

Fancy a bit of quirky but philosophical humour? Look no further than The Consultant by Jessy Randall. Or have a gander at these attempts at completing Coleridge‘s unfinished poem Kubla Khan. Finally, take a quick look at September 24^th 1945 by the Turkish poet Nazim Hikmet Ran, it’s a stunner!

Next is a section rounding up poems I’ve recently enjoyed from the Blogosphere. There’s so much out there, you really just have to look! This is just a taster of the poems that have touched me recently, so apologies to everyone who I couldn’t fit in this time.

Brazen Butternut Squash by Iza Trapani is a quirky food-related poem I think you will like. The Undertow at Weasel Mornings made me catch my breath. Island by Edwin Thumboo captures perfectly the encroaching urbanisation in Singapore. Rainbow Girl by Fish Loon makes you feel like you are swooping and snatching like the protagonist in the poem! October Baby at Blue Sky Infinite makes me wish I was an October baby too! My God by Adelle is a strong poem about truth and selfhood. Lost and Found by Elaine Westheimer reminds us whatever else we’ve lost not to lose each other. Tin and Rust at Writing Without Paper also reminds us to keep things clean and fresh!

Finally, here is a selection of the poetry articles which I have most enjoyed reading lately.  Hopefully you’ll find some of these interesting.

Firstly, here is a story looking back 25 years to the publication of Tony Harrison‘s poem v and asking whether poetry belongs on the front pages. Next is an article by Dorothea Lasky asking whether poetry is an essential tool for the generation of new ideas. The Paris Review has an enlightening account of what led Sylvia Plath to write her famous poem Daddy. The New York Times Magazine gives us a sense of perspective with its tale of an Afghan female poets’ group. Simon Armitage entertains us with his recollections of his recent walk along the Pennine Way during which he paid his way by reading poetry. And I particularly enjoyed this piece in the Guardian about the best time of the day to write a poem.

Well that’s all I have for now folks! I hope you find something here that you’ll enjoy as much as I did.