Here are the blog posts from 2022 that you read most often Lifesaving Lines: The Death of Fred Clifton, by … More
Tag: reading poems
Lifesaving Lines: An October Salmon, by Ted Hughes
I walked into the middle of a Ted Hughes poem the other week. An early morning dog walk, like any … More
Lifesaving Lines: Edge, by Sylvia Plath
But first came Plath. After Ursuala Le Guin, the only female author we studied (OK – Jane Austen). Her name … More
Lifsaving Lines: Alone, by Tomas Tranströmer
I have been thinking a lot this week about a line from Tomas Tranströmer’s masterpiece, ‘Alone’. (I have also blogged … More
Lifesaving Lines: Poem for Wednesday, by Naomi Jaffa
Recently, my relationship with Wednesdays has changed. It’s quite a long story, and one I don’t want to trouble you … More
A list of found poems
Here is a list of various found poems that I have made over the years. Happy holiday reading and looking … More
When I am Asked
When I am Asked When I am asked how I began writing poems, I talk about the indifference of nature. … More
Autumn
Autumn One night goes on longer than the rest, never so long, whiled away. Then dawn. Goodbye, insects. Hollow casings … More
Praise the Rain
Praise the Rain Praise the rain; the seagull diveThe curl of plant, the raven talk—Praise the hurt, the house slackThe … More
The fear of poetry -by Muriel Rukeyser
The Fear of Poetry In this moment when we facehorizons and conflicts widerthan ever before, we want our resources,the ways … More
Lifesaving Poems: Margaret Avison’s ‘Twilight’
Twilight Three minutes ago it was almost dark.Now all the darkness is in theleaves (there are no morelow garage roofs, … More
We never keep to the present
We never keep to the present. We recall the past; we anticipate the future as if we found … More
Living in the layers
The Layers I have walked through many lives, some of them my own, and I am not who I … More
Reading and writing resources for young poets
Young Poets’ Stories project update: Today we add a reading resources for young poets page to the Young Poets’ Stories website. … More
Schoolchildren
The Schoolchildren Like leaves startled by a gust of wind they peel away from the tight-knit group, one child, two, … More
We have to have great meals
Simply Lit Often toward evening, after another day, after another year of days, in the half dark on the … More
A bright soul keeps on beating
Dying Nothing to be said about it, and everything – The change of changes, closer or further away: The … More
The wonder is
The washing never gets done. The furnace never gets heated. Books never get read. Life is never completed. Life … More