No, I didn't fall off the planet. I know you're relieved, because if I had, you'd have some serious worries yourself, about the laws of gravity, alien abduction, etc.

Actually, I've resolved to take a good long blog break. I don't know how long "good long" is, and I don't know if it will be a full break, or if I'll post intermittently. I'm playing that by ear. You'll probably see a poem or two on Fridays, for instance.

So, my break began a few weeks ago, but is official today, October 21. (Note the date of this post is set ahead, so this will stay at the top of the blog.)

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A quick note before I disappear into the ether....

Contest winners from the Pop Culture in High Culture contest were:

Douglas
abookworm
Sara
Michele

I've emailed each of you, so check for it and I'll get your prizes out.

Thanks and congratulations!

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Happy Poetry Friday!

Today's round-up is over at AmoXcalli.

The contest is still going here until October 12, so please send in your examples of classic literature in pop culture.

Here's my latest:

Countess Kathleen, Scene 5
by William Butler Yeats

The years like great black oxen tread the world
and God the herdsman goads them on behind
and I am broken by their passing feet.

I'm on vacation for the next 9 days, but keep the entries coming!

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Happy Poetry Friday!

Roundup is at Hip Writer Mama.

This week, I'm starting a new contest, one that I think everyone will find easy, fun and interesting. Yes, yes, we're putting the last contest down to my poor combination of medication. Sigh....

This contest theme: High Culture meets Pop Culture

So I was driving home from work the other night, and for some reason suddenly found myself thinking of Rodney Dangerfield reciting "Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night" in the movie Back to School.



Which led me to remember Charles Bronson in the movie Telefon, and that scene in the phone booth where the classic lines from Robert Frost are quoted:

The woods are lovely, dark and deep
but I have promises to keep,
and miles to go before I sleep,
and miles to go before I sleep.

What a lovely way to be brainwashed.

And then I thought of one of my favorite scenes from Porky's II (a movie that made me giggle so much I almost wet myself), where Pee Wee plays Shakespeare's Robin in the school play and gives the closing speech from "A Midsummer Night's Dream." This scene coming right on the heels of the outrageous sex and vomit sting scene was a fabulous juxtaposition. What's remarkable to me is that it was because of Porky's II that I fell in love with this little bit of Shakespeare. How many of you can say that? How many would admit to it?

Now the hungry lion roars,
And the wolf behowls the moon,
Whilst the heavy plowman snores,
All with weary task fordone.
Now the wasted brands do glow,
Whilst the screech-owl, screeching loud,
Puts the wretch that lies in woe
In remembrance of a shroud.
Now it is the time of night
That the graves, all gaping wide,
Every one lets forth his sprite
In the church-way paths to glide.
And we fairies, that do run
By the triple Hecate's team
From the presence of the sun,
Following darkness like a dream,
Now are frolic. Not a mouse
Shall disturb this hallowed house.
I am sent with broom before,
To sweep the dust behind the door.

And so back to the contest....

Here is your mission, if you want to play:

Submit your comments here with examples of TV shows, popular songs, or movies that used references or quotes from famous poets or authors in a way that may have caught people by surprise. Caught by surprise? I mean, don't include the movie Sense and Sensibility, where half of it was quotes from poetry because two of the characters sat around and read each other poetry throughout. Don't include Shakespeare in Love or Hamlet, where of course there will be a lot of, um, Shakespeare.

Give me movies like Porky's II, or songs like Dire Straits "Romeo and Juliet." Better yet, give me quotes from The Simpsons. Any extra explanation you can include, similar to mine above about Porky's II, will gain you extra points.

You also get extra points for posting about this contest on your blog.

Deadline: October 12
Prizes: Good. I'll randomly draw 4 winners and I'll send them gift cards worth real money ($10 to 25).

Enjoyment factor: 10

Oh, and I'll create a post of all the submissions. Please include links to videos, or pictures, if you can, because that will make the post more fun.

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Before I do a poetry Friday post, let me send you over to Seven Impossible Things to read this important call to action in honor of, and in memory of, Grace Lin's husband Robert.

More about Robert's Snow

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Happy Poetry Friday!

I chose this poet during my searches today because her first name is my middle name, and somehow that makes her a better poet in my view. Anyhow, the poem today is full of interesting images and a stop-and-think-about-it concept. Enjoy!

Two, Three
by Rae Armantrout

Sad, fat boy in pirate hat.
Long, old, dented,
copper-colored Ford.

How many traits
must a thing have
in order to be singular?

(Echo persuades us
everything we say
has been said at least once
......................................before.)

Go here for the rest of the poem.

Go here for a bio of the poet.

Go here ... or here... for audio of the poet reading other poems. Fair warning, I find her a little too perky a reader.

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Happy Poetry Friday, and happy end of August!

(It hardly seems possible that 2/3 of the year is done.)

The roundup this week is over at Mentor Texts.

My new poet this week is Rita Dove, one of the contemporary poets featured over at http://www.poets.org/.

Weathering Out
by Rita Dove

She liked mornings the best—Thomas gone
to look for work, her coffee flushed with milk,

outside autumn trees blowsy and dripping.
Past the seventh month she couldn’t see her feet

so she floated from room to room, houseshoes flapping,
navigating corners in wonder. When she leaned

against a doorjamb to yawn, she disappeared entirely.

Go here to read the rest of this poem.

Go here to listen to the poet reading this poem.

Go here for a brief bio of the poet.

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Do you have a theory about why only 1/5 of Americans can find the U.S. on a map?

Miss Teen South Carolina does.

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Who's better?

Dr. Seuss or Jane Austen?

Stephen King or Edgar Allen Poe?

Check out The Great Wednesday Compare, a new(ish) series of posts over at The Book Mine Set. You'll get to cast your vote each week, and see how your favorite authors fare.

John Irving is one of the contenders this week. Vote early. Vote often. Voting closes Tuesday night.

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Happy Poetry Friday!

The round-up is done pretty creatively over at The Book Mine Set.

I've posted a Dugan poem in the past (Love Song: I and Thou) but this one is new to me.

On Looking for Models
by Alan Dugan

The trees in time
have something else to do
besides their treeing. What is it.
I'm a starving to death
man myself, and thirsty, thirsty
by their fountains but I cannot drink
their mud and sunlight to be whole.

Go here to read and listen to the rest of the poem.

Go here for a short bio of Alan Dugan.

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Happy Poetry Friday!

I ran across this tonight, and thought all the librarians out there might like it.

My First Memory (of Librarians)
by Nikki Giovanni

This is my first memory:
A big room with heavy wooden tables that sat on a creaky
...............wood floor
A line of green shades—bankers’ lights—down the center
Heavy oak chairs that were too low or maybe I was simply
..............too short
............................For me to sit in and read
So my first book was always big

Go here for the rest of this poem.

Go here for a bio of Nikki Giovanni.

And GO HERE for an interview with Nikki Giovanni talking about poetry and books and life. I liked this in particular: "There's no life in safety.... It prevents you from greeting the world with open arms." I also really enjoyed how she ended with a bit about making poetry accessible. Worth a listen!

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"Jo Rowling's kids grew up...and the audience grew up with them."

My buddy Fran sent me this link today:

Stephen King on Harry Potter

I particularly like this quote from King, explaining how the Harry Potter series was much more than books for children:

The clearest sign of how adult the books had become by the conclusion arrives — and splendidly — in Deathly Hallows, when Mrs. Weasley sees the odious Bellatrix Lestrange trying to finish off Ginny with a Killing Curse. ''NOT MY DAUGHTER, YOU BITCH!'' she cries. It's the most shocking bitch in recent fiction; since there's virtually no cursing (of the linguistic kind, anyway) in the Potter books, this one hits home with almost fatal force. It is totally correct in its context — perfect, really — but it is also a quintessentially adult response to a child's peril.

Be sure to read all three pages!

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Happy Poetry Friday!

There's been so much talk about weird weather lately, I went hunting for a poem about wind and rain. Here is what I found.

In General
by Pattiann Rogers

This is about no rain in particular,
just any rain, rain sounding on the roof,
any roof, slate or wood, tin or clay
or thatch, any rain among any trees,
rain in soft, soundless accumulation,
gathering rather than falling on the fir
of juniper and cedar, on a lace-community
of cobwebs, rain clicking off the rigid
leaves of oaks or magnolias, any kind
of rain, cold and smelling of ice or rising
again as steam off hot pavements
or stilling dust on country roads in August.
This is about rain as rain possessing
only the attributes of any rain in general.

And this is about night, any night
coming in its same immeasurably gradual
way, fulfilling expectations in its old
manner, creating heavens for lovers
and thieves, taking into itself the scarlet
of the scarlet sumac, the blue of the blue
vervain....

Go here to read the rest of the poem.

Go here for a bio of the poet.


And for something completely different, why not check out Sara Lewis Holmes' 39 Reasons to Write, which was an answer to the meme I posted for my birthday.

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Happy Poetry Friday!

He was just named Poet Laureate of the United States. He was just awarded the Wallace Stevens award.

And I never heard of him until today.

Pigeons at Dawn
by Charles Simic

Extraordinary efforts are being made
To hide things from us, my friend.
Some stay up into the wee hours
To search their souls.
Others undress each other in darkened rooms.

The creaky old elevator
Took us down to the icy cellar first
To show us a mop and a bucket
Before it deigned to ascend again
With a sigh of exasperation.

Go here for the rest of the poem.

For more fun, go here for the audio of another of his poems.

And finally, fresh off the www.poets.org presses: The Academy of American Poets will feature Mr. Simic in a free public reading in New York City's Bryant Park on August 21. He will also participate in the Academy's inaugural Poets Forum in October. For more information, please visit www.poets.org/poets.forum.

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So it's my 39th Birthday, and to celebrate, I'm starting a meme: 39 reasons to be happy today. I'm going to tag Miss Erin, Robin Brande, and the 7-Imp ladies.

Here are my 39 reasons to be happy today.

1. Healthy family
2. 5 birthday cakes
3. Fitting into smaller size clothes
4. Surprise parties
5. Maine
6. More Maine
7. Friends who make me laugh
8. Surprise phone calls from old friends
9. Fresh paint
10. Blueberries are in season
11. New babies in the neighborhood
12. Hearing a great song I'd forgotten all about
13. Kids who can cross their eyes and lick their own noses
14. Puzzles
15. Books and more books
16. Neighbors who look out for me
17. Friends who keep me honest
18. Nieces and nephews growing up into amazing adults
19. Starting my 40th year well
20. Looking forward to the achievement of turning 40
21. My first pedicure
22. Spa indulgences
23. Sharing Harry Potter with my mom
24. Wonderful coworkers who have fun
25. Opportunities to be smart
26. Opportunities to let others be smart for me
27. Blogging and reading blogs
28. Getting letters and packages
29. Coffee ice cream with chocolate
30. Freshly laundered sheets and towels
31. Hot scented baths
32. Making decisions
33. Air conditioning
34. Sofa breaks
35. Backyard gardens
36. Writing poetry out of the blue
37. Sudden memories of long-past events
38. Old old friends
39. Silly string, silly putty and bubbles

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Happy Poetry Friday! You'll find the round-up over at Check it Out!

I've snuck back from vacation for just a day, and wanted to get you this link to a wonderful poem by Philip Levine (brief bio).

I could only find this in audio, but I've transcribed the first half to the best of my ability.

Messieur Degas Teaches Art and Science at Durfy Intermediate School, Detroit 1942
by Philip Levine

He made a line on the blackboard
One bold stroke from right to left diagonally downward
And stood back to ask --
Looking as always at no one in particular --
"What have I done?"

From the back of the room Freddy shouted,
"You've broken a piece of chalk!"
Messieur Degas did not smile.
"What have I done?" he repeated.

The most intellectual students
Looked down to study their desks,
Except for Gertrude Bimler,
Who raised her hand before she spoke:
"Messieur Degas, you have created
The hypotenuse of an isosceles triangle."

Degas mused.
Everyone knew that Gertrude could not be incorrect.

Go here to hear: Messieur Degas Teaches Art and Science at Durfy Intermediate School, Detroit 1942

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This arrived as a recommendation from Amazon today. Anyone heard of it?

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Here are the daily clues for the Tanga puzzles this week. To see the hint, highlight the space to the right of the date.

I don't give away answers here, just a small hint each day to help get you started or past a rough patch. If you want stronger hints, you can check the blog on the Tanga site itself, which is chock full of spoilers.

While I avoid giving away the answers on this page, be warned that there may be spoilers in the comments to this post, so open those with care.

Good luck!

July 16: Start with the ends.

July 17: If you're the type that likes to do things single-handedly, you'll get this puzzle with no problem.

July 18: Start with the synonym for ecru, and this should be simple. Bigger hint: Where do Michael and Dom both shop?

July 19: I found what I was looking for when I centered my attention on the guest list.

July 20 -22: I'm travelling for the next several days, but will catch up when I return.

.

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Hello!

It's been over 3 months since I've written anything of my own, but tonight it just felt possible. I went over to one of my favorite Magnetic Poetry sites for inspiration, and these words got me started -- cloud, strike, crash, tingling, waiting, happen -- even though I only used a few of them.

Here is the result, not quite perfected, fresh off the press as it were:

Parchment

by Nancy Rae Kienzler

It was our longest, our greatest, our finest drought,
The time we dried like raisins, like sawdust, like parchment.
Experienced as we were, knowing it would end,
As droughts always do, we waited patient and still.

And yet, nerves tingled. Senses heightened.
Do you smell electricity? Are those cirrus or cumulous?
Are the leaves up? Are the cows lying down?
Even the animals were restless then, pacing and sighing.

One night we heard the crackle across the bone-dry hills.
We sat on the porch and looked Southward,
Then wrapped around the side to look Westward.
It was beautiful, and so brilliant, but no more. Not a drop.

I don’t remember the fall or feel of that first raindrop,
Nor the first storm, momentous as it must have been.
But the weeks, and the weeks, of watching and wanting,
Waiting and withering – I hold on to those.

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Happy Poetry Friday! When you're done here, don't forget the Poetry Friday round-up over at Chicken Spaghetti.

I have to say I really enjoy hunting around on Poets.org for new poetry. Today, I followed their link for "Cowboy Poetry" and from there a link to the poet Maxine Kumin.

Consider this poem about her guilt over letting go of a good horse:

Jack
by Maxine Kumin

How pleasant the yellow butter
melting on white kernels, the meniscus
of red wine that coats the insides of our goblets

where we sit with sturdy friends as old as we are
after shucking the garden's last Silver Queen
and setting husks and stalks aside for the horses

the last two of our lives, still noble to look upon:
our first foal, now a bossy mare of 28
which calibrates to 84 in people years

and my chestnut gelding, not exactly a youngster
at 22. Every year, the end of summer
lazy and golden, invites grief and regret...

Go here for the rest of the poem.

And then consider going here to read and listen to Kumin's "Woodchucks," which takes a somewhat humorous, somewhat grisly look at the determination of the poet to get rid of varmints in her garden. The poem begins: "Gassing the woodchucks didn't turn out right." If you read it as I did, you will laugh and then you will wince.

If the phrase "Cowboy Poetry" intrigues you, use this link for a description of Cowboy Poetry. By the way, based on this description I don't think either of the two Kumin poems I point out are part of the Cowboy Poetry genre.

And here is a Brief bibliography/bio of Maxine Kumin.

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Here's something new I learned today: The phrase "two plus eleven" is equal to the phrase "one plus twelve" in more than one way!

Go here for more anagram coolness! (Click on the anagram link at the top right.)

Oh, and there's a whole bunch about palindromes there too.

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Here are the daily clues for the Tanga puzzles this week. To see the hint, highlight the space to the right of the date.

I don't give away answers here, just a small hint each day to help get you started or past a rough patch. If you want stronger hints, you can check the blog on the Tanga site itself, which is chock full of spoilers.

While I avoid giving away the answers on this page, be warned that there may be spoilers in the comments to this post, so open those with care.

Good luck!

July 9: Use the phrases one way, then apply to the pictures.

July 10: This is an inside joke but you don't need to be a hero to get it.

July 11: You need to recognize at least a few of these pictures to get this one.

July 12: I don't know why I couldn't remember, but it's buck.

July 13: If you can count, and if you aren't too blue, this should be a fine puzzle for you.

July 14: Little-'uns first.

July 15: If you can get those petty girls in order, you can probably figure it out within the first two rounds.

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The very kind Jules and Eisha over at Seven Impossible Things have added me to their series of blogger profiles. If you want to know things about me I'd never admit on THIS blog, and see my picture, and all that good stuff...

GO HERE.

Thanks Jules and Eisha. I'm so happy to be part of the tribe!

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