This week I've been thinking a lot about brevity and its benefits. I wish I were better at being brief. I seem to be one of those people who ramble on and on. With that in mind, I kept rereading Asbestos by Alexandra Umlas. I think it tells a whole tragedy in three short stanzas.
When she first saw the nest, my grandma thought the spackled twigs were assembled by wasps. She thought we should torch it or tear it down. She didn't know the swallows had been flying home for years. Every spring they'd come to the porch. Sit in the nest. Hatch new eggs. Baby birds ugly and … Continue reading Swallows
This week's POW is my favorite slam poem. This poet is phenomenal. The use of extended metaphor surprised me the first time I heard it and continues to impress me. It's also a moving poem that examines the U.S. prison industrial complex, which you know, examining the historical context of a massive social issue and … Continue reading Poem of the Week #8
Happy National Poetry Month! This month many people are attempting to write a poem a day (napowrimo!). I am not, because I am tired of writing poems, which feels like a silly thing to say but is also true. Instead I've been writing fiction and nonfiction and blog posts and journal entries and cover letters … Continue reading Are You Writing Daily Poems for April?
I have been examining my fears. I discovered that many many many things scare me. Those things include: Moving Spiders, scorpions, and other insects that scuttle or leap (Why do so many insects scuttle? And who made that word? Why does the word itself sound ominous?) Failure—a vague and ominous noun that in my own … Continue reading I am trying to do things that scare me
I don't know if anyone reads these besides my mom, (Hi Mom!) but posting them brings me a lot of joy, so this week's POW is Behaving Like a Jew by Gerald Stern. This poem talks about mundane violence and the first time I read it, I wanted to cry a little. In my experience … Continue reading Poem of the Week #7
I get it, sometimes you're tired of all the dang reading. That's you should watch The Pied Piper by Natasha Hooper. I was fortunate enough to see this performance in person, and I was not prepared. It took all of the air out of the room. This piece does the thing slam poems are best … Continue reading Poem of the Week #6
Overwhelmed by the multitude of streaming options available? Redbox burning a hole in your pocket (or possibly through your credit card)? Netflix keeping you up at night? I have an old fashioned proposal to solve your television woes: the library, where they will lend you movies, soundtracks, books, and television shows all for free. The … Continue reading Too Many T.V. Options?
torrin a. greathouse is a poet who is visceral and tender. I love this poem published by Poetry magazine last year (can you tell I read a lot of Poetry magazine?). It breaks my heart every time I read it. Go read On Confinement, your Wednesday could use more poetry.
Sometimes I love poems without understanding them. This poem by Heather Christle is one such piece. I adore it. I also feel very clear that I do not understand what it means or what it is supposed to mean. I still love it. I still want to read it again and again. Check it out … Continue reading Poem of the Week #4
