I've been so neglectful

Yes it's eons since I posted here.  While I'm very routine on my regular blog, I don't always make note of what I've been reading. I am going to try and do better.

Today: 

• Fenny Sterenborg - poet / blogger from the Netherlands.   Come Lie With Me For A While. This is a new post of Fenny's and I enjoyed it. 

• Joannie Kervran Stangeland - The Musician Plays on Rue Corneille. I like how Stangland's poem moves from one point to another and the juxtaposition between them.

• Re-reading some of the poems in Birthday Letters by Ted Hughes

A few poems from yesterday

• Robert Phillips - Insturment of Choice
• Elizabeth Bishop - Letter to N.Y.
• Robert Bly - For My Son Noah, Ten Years Old
• Vassar Miller - Morning Person
• Arthur Guiterman - Routine
• Charles Bukowski - Petry Readings

I woould say that none of these were remarkable. Elisabeth Bishop's Letter to N.Y. perhaps struck my fancy more than any of the others. Still, they were all worth reading.

Relying on Short Term Memory Here

I'm way behind here and I won't even pretend to catch up... Just to say here are a few of my more recent reads that I can recall:

• W.S. Merwin - Now Renting, To The Insects
• Kevin Prufer - The Astronomer's Dream
• Faye Adams - Cameo Appearance
• Gary Beck - Confusion

I'm behind.... this to update

Not read as much poetry per say as I would like to recently, but I have had my nose in some poetry related books.

I did read some more Jane Kenyon this weekend and last week a read a poem sent to me by a local K.C. area poet and friend Missi Rasmussen. Missi's poem was absolutely amazing and I have to say, one of her very best.

I've read a couple W.S. Merwin. Hopefully I can finish out the week with a variety of other poets including some new ones.

Jane Kenyon Night

Last night I took a break to read some poetry... read only poetry written by Jane Kenyon.

The following Poems:

• Happiness
• Mosaic of the Nativity: Serbia, Winter 1993
• Man Eating
• Surprise

Yesterday I read by the following:

• Louise Gluck
• Donald Hall
• Jumah Al Dossari

Hall's poem - The Wish is comprised of three, 8 line stanzas. Lines 5 through 8 in similar, shorter length then the previous. The poem constitutes a dialogue between Hall and his wife Jane. A tug and pull of will between life and death that has great humility in it.

Gluck's poem - The Drowned Children is dark and unsettling and yet the easy flowing imagery keeps you reading it even though you feel like you should be ill at easy with the words them self. The poem is stirring - I believe she has achieved a difficult task with this work.

Al Dossari's poem - Death Poem is one from the book Poems from Guantanamo. There is no evidence that the writer had any formal poetry or literary experience prior to detention. Additionally, what is in print is a translation. The voice in the poem is that of a sufferer at the hands of another, in this case the United States. There is not a strong tone of bitterness that one might expect, but rather a hopelessness that sees its end in death. A death it hopes will provide a glimpse of his torment both to his captors and the world.

words

Yesterdays Poets

Ok, I've really been delinquent where it comes to posting my readings. So sue me! LOL

Yesterday, I did read poetry and these were the poets:

• Shaker Abdurraheem Aamer
• Paul Muldoon
• Abdulaziz
• Elizabeth Macklin
• Cate Marvin