The Poetry Pantry Is Now Open! - #73

The Poetry Pantry

2nd Chance Poems or 1st time shares

Anything goes!! All Poems, all Poets, All Week!!

Do you have a poem you would like to share? Something that you just felt inspired to write and want others to read. Perhaps it’s a poem that didn’t get as much exposure on your blog as you would have liked. Maybe it’s a poem that you wrote a long time ago that you would like people to revisit. That’s what this section of Poets United is for.

Each Sunday we start a new post with a New Mr. Linky for you. This is so that you can post a link to anything you want us to read, anything at all related to poetry or prose found on your own poetry blogs. It will remain open all week so that you can show us your writings and thoughts. You can post links weekly should you chose to do so. What poetry you put here is up to you so don't be afraid to share with us!!

There 3 simple rules:

1. Don’t link to more than 3 poems per week.

2. Please visit some of the other poems linked here when you link to yours.

3. Leave a comment after you have posted
your link.

Classic Poetry~ "Autumn Thoughts" by John Greenleaf Whittier

John Greenleaf Whittier

Autumn Thoughts

Gone hath the Spring, with all its flowers,

And gone the Summer's pomp and show,

And Autumn, in his leafless bowers,

Is waiting for the Winter's snow.

I said to Earth, so cold and gray,

'An emblem of myself thou art.'

'Not so,' the Earth did seem to say,

'For Spring shall warm my frozen heart.'

I soothe my wintry sleep with dreams

Of warmer sun and softer rain,

And wait to hear the sound of streams

And songs of merry birds again.

But thou, from whom the Spring hath gone,

For whom the flowers no longer blow,

Who standest blighted and forlorn,

Like Autumn waiting for the snow;

No hope is thine of sunnier hours,

Thy Winter shall no more depart;

No Spring revive thy wasted flowers,

Nor Summer warm thy frozen heart.

American poet and editor, John Greenleaf Whittier, was born December 17, 1807, in Massachusetts. A shoemaker and schoolteacher by trade, Whittier garnered literary attention before he was twenty and throughout his long life. A devout Quaker, he was politicallly active, devoted himself to to social causes and reform, and doggedly worked for the abolition of slavery.

Popular with other poets and writers, Whittier celebrated his seventieth birthday with a large group of friends that included Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Mark Twain, Oliver Wendell Holmes, James Russell Lowell, and William Dean Howells. He died in New Hampshire, on September 7, 1892.

I Wish I'd Written This

The World Clock tells me it's past Friday in North America by now. I don't know why this post didn't appear when scheduled, but here it is at last — Rosemary


In any discussion of who might be the greatest Australian poet, the name of the late Judith Wright (1915-200) would have to be included. She left a substantial body of work, and I wish I had written any and all of it! She wrote great love poems, great nature poems, great poems about the history of our land, great poems on spiritual issues ... it’s hard to choose just one to share with you. My three absolute favourites are the love poem The Company of Lovers, the mystical Eli, Eli and this one: 

Brown Bird

Brown bird with the silver eyes,

fly down and teach me to sing.

I am alone, I will not touch you or move.

I am only thirsty for love

and the clear stream of your voice

and the brown curve of your wing

and the cold of your silver eyes.

Yet though I hung my head

and did not look or move,

he felt my thirst and was gone.

Though not a word I said,

he would not give me a song.

My heart sounded too strong;

too desert looked my love.

I chose Brown Bird because I am always pierced anew by its acute longing. At first glance it appears to be one of the nature poems she did so well — but it isn’t really.

Other poems by Judith Wright can be found here. Her autobiography, Half a Lifetime, is still available and so are her books of poetry, literary criticism, letters, essays and stories. (But if you Google her, be aware she’s not the Judith Wright who writes on food nor the one who writes about computers!) The complete list of her books is here. (Scroll down.)

Judith Wright in old age.

Poems and photos used in ‘I Wish I’d Written This’ remain the property of the copyright holders (usually their authors).

The Thursday Think Tank # 72 - Writer's Block

“I've often said that there's no such thing as writer's block; the problem is idea block.”

~ Jeffery Deaver

You will not get a long winded thought provoking banter form this week I am keeping it simple.  We all suffer from this at one point or another.  We struggle trying to force our pens, willing our imaginations through the thick grey mass of our brains.  Many poets and writers have poems about writer’s block; it’s a horrid but curable condition.  Many say the best way to cure it is to write about it. This is what we will do today.  Maybe you don’t have writer’s block at this moment.  This then should lead to you being able to write a better poem about it.

“You can live with me in this house I've built out of writer’s blocks”

~ Pete Wentz

"writing about a writer's block is better than not writing at all”

~ Charles Bukowski

“Very often we write down a sentence too early, then another too late; what we have to do is write it down at the proper time, otherwise it's lost.”

~ Thomas Bernhard

Defeat this beast by simply writing and sharing it with us.  We can’t wait to read your Writer’s Block poems.  

We know there are a billion out there.

Life of a Poet - the Other Mary!

by Sherry Blue Sky

Kids, it must be Wednesday, because here we are again! It occurred to me that, since we featured Mary last week, it would be very nice to spotlight the Other Mary this week. Yes, Mary Bach, of Writing in the Bachs, is here. Mary is another long-time member of Poets United. Pull your chairs closer to the screens, pour a nice creamy latte with lots of foam, and let’s take a walk with the Bachs!

Poets United: Mary, I have been curious to ask: is there a story behind your name Other Mary?

Mary: When I started ‘Writing in the Bachs’ and linking in to Poets United, I used just my first name, Mary, but I soon found there was someone else called Mary who turned out to be Mary ........  She contacted me and we decided it would be confusing for us both to link in with the same name.  So as she had seniority, I would change.  Seeing as I was quite literally the ‘other Mary’ I figured that would be a funny, if not terribly creative, name.  That’s how I became the Other Mary.

Midnight Snack (008)

A simple photo prompt for insomniacs, early birds and the rest of you.
You can post at anytime its just the night owls and early birds get the first crack at it.

Alice in Wonderland by YukiValentine at deviantART

We missed it Tuesday night but since today has availability here is this weeks photo prompt.

   Look...                  

          Think...          

Write...       

          Post...   

Blog Roll Front and Center

As Poets United continues to grow, so does the demand on the volunteers who work hard to ensure we have an active and functional community.  This usually leads to us needing to make a few changes so that we can continue to meet the needs of the community.  If you can believe it, we have more than 500 Facebook fans and more than 400 active members on our current member list--and this does not count our daily growth, Twitter followers and the occasional drive-by. 

As the result of all this goodness, We are announcing one such change today: We will be removing the membership requirement and the list of members from our site.  

Keeping up with the member list has become fairly taxing on us, and we feel we can better use our time maintaining it to better serve the community in other areas.   We will now focus on our blogroll, which is really the vibrant part of our membership. Because the blogroll updates with every refresh, every time any of our members posts a poem, it is the core of Poets United--the living, breathing piece. We hope that the blogroll is valuable to you and drives traffic to your blogs.

We will now only ask poets who have blogs and wish to be read to email us requesting to be added to our blog roll.  We will review their request to ensure they are poetic and active and then add them.  This does not mean we will become lax on our standards! We will continue to work to keep Poets United an up-to-date and active poetry bloggers' community, and we will be even more diligent in keeping our site fresh.  On a monthly basis, we will purge any blogs that are inactive for 3 months or more.  This will make your participation in the community even more important, so that you may be considered for our anthologies, profile articles, contests and whatever else spotlights your work.  So remember to post on your blogs, visit others and please interact. This is what makes Poets United so awesome!

Thank you, and now back to your writing!  Your friendly greeters Robb, Marian and everyone else helping out here at Poets United.

The Poetry Pantry Is Now Open! - #72

The Poetry Pantry

2nd Chance Poems or 1st time shares

Anything goes!! All Poems, all Poets, All Week!!

Do you have a poem you would like to share? Something that you just felt inspired to write and want others to read. Perhaps it’s a poem that didn’t get as much exposure on your blog as you would have liked. Maybe it’s a poem that you wrote a long time ago that you would like people to revisit. That’s what this section of Poets United is for.

Each Sunday we start a new post with a New Mr. Linky for you. This is so that you can post a link to anything you want us to read, anything at all related to poetry or prose found on your own poetry blogs. It will remain open all week so that you can show us your writings and thoughts. You can post links weekly should you chose to do so. What poetry you put here is up to you so don't be afraid to share with us!!

There 3 simple rules:

1. Don’t link to more than 3 poems per week.

2. Please visit some of the other poems linked here when you link to yours.

3. Leave a comment after you have posted
your link.

I Wish I'd Written This

Rae Desmond Jones at the launch of his book «Blow Out» 

at the Summer Hill Hotel, Sydney, 15 March 2009. Photo by John Tranter.

I’m delighted to share with the Poets United community some wonderful poems that I would love to have written, and introduce you to the brilliant poets who did write them.

I’m starting with Sydney poet Rae Desmond Jones. I know him best as a free verse poet who confronts the human condition with enviable insight and candour. I was surprised to discover him in formal mode in this poem, which enchants me:

Ghazal to the beloved on the last night  

In the dark a woman knits across the table,

Her needles click softly & tenderly. 

The smell of roses are rich & sweet,

The pulsing blood of moving air.

The old pepper tree shudders & whispers,

The full moon spills silver into my hands.

Shadow, what do you know?

The sinistral mirror smiles along its crack.

The sparkling stars peck at the clouds,

An angel breathes down my back.

There is no one else in all there is

& our world is alone in its wick of light. 

Published Decline and Fall

ASM publishers, Macao.

More samples of Rae's work can be found here.  You may also be interested to read an interview with him in Stylus Poetry Journal, or critic Martin Duwell's review in Jacket Magazine.

Poems and photos used in ‘I Wish I’d Written This’ remain the property of the copyright holders (usually their authors).

The Thursday Think Tank # 71 - Energy

"Energy and persistence conquer all things. "
Benjamin Franklin 

What does the word energy mean to you?  We are always trying to get more of it. We are constantly frustrated with the lack of it. Or maybe you have the problem of having too much pent up inside of you. Whatever the case, our lives center around energy.  

"The energy of the mind is the essence of life."

Aristotle 

How do we use the energy we have? For good, evil, to help others, to help ourselves, or to create more energy? Every day we are given the option of what to do with the energy we have, what will you do with yours today?

"I've got mad energy for days. That's what people can't get their minds around. They say, 'Oh, he's going to crash.' They try to apply all these common terms to a guy who is not common. I don't fit into their little box. Winning!"

Charlie Sheen

 Synonyms for energy: power, force, vigor, liveliness, oomph

Use some of your energy to write a wonderful energetic poem for us to read as we look forward to you energizing us!

Midnight Snack (007)

A simple photo prompt for insomniacs, early birds and the rest of you.
You can post at anytime its just the night owls and early birds get the first crack at it.

Rage by AnnaMariaDeMari at deviantART

We missed it Tuesday night but since today has availability here is this weeks photo prompt.

   Look...                  

          Think...          

Write...       

          Post...   

The Poetry Pantry Is Now Open! - #71

The Poetry Pantry

2nd Chance Poems or 1st time shares

Anything goes!! All Poems, all Poets, All Week!!

Do you have a poem you would like to share? Something that you just felt inspired to write and want others to read. Perhaps it’s a poem that didn’t get as much exposure on your blog as you would have liked. Maybe it’s a poem that you wrote a long time ago that you would like people to revisit. That’s what this section of Poets United is for.

Each Sunday we start a new post with a New Mr. Linky for you. This is so that you can post a link to anything you want us to read, anything at all related to poetry or prose found on your own poetry blogs. It will remain open all week so that you can show us your writings and thoughts. You can post links weekly should you chose to do so. What poetry you put here is up to you so don't be afraid to share with us!!

There 3 simple rules:

1. Don’t link to more than 3 poems per week.

2. Please visit some of the other poems linked here when you link to yours.

3. Leave a comment after you have posted
your link.

Classic Poetry~ "A Fairly Sad Tale" by Dorothy Parker Rothschild

Dorothy Parker Rothschild

A Fairly Sad Tale

I think that I shall never know

Why I am thus, and I am so.

Around me, other girls inspire

In men the rush and roar of fire,

The sweet transparency of glass,

The tenderness of April grass,

The durability of granite;

But me- I don't know how to plan it.

The lads I've met in Cupid's deadlock

Were- shall we say?- born out of wedlock.

They broke my heart, they stilled my song,

And said they had to run along,

Explaining, so to sop my tears,

First came their parents or careers.

But ever does experience

Deny me wisdom, calm, and sense!

Though she's a fool who seeks to capture

The twenty-first fine, careless rapture,

I must go on, till ends my rope,

Who from my birth was cursed with hope.

A heart in half is chaste, archaic;

But mine resembles a mosaic-

The thing's become ridiculous!

Why am I so? Why am I thus?

Dorothy Parker Rothschild was a feminist, an outspoken social and political activist, and a respected intellectual. A writer for, among other publications, Vanity Fair, Parker’s voice changed the tone of poetry, prose and the music of her time.

Here are some still-popular quotes attributed to her:

"The cure for boredom is curiosity. There is no cure for curiosity."

"Men seldom make passes at girls who wear glasses."

"The only ism Hollywood believes in is plagiarism."

"I don't care what is written about me as long as it isn't true."

"This is not a novel to be tossed aside lightly. It should be thrown with great force."

"Take care of luxuries and the necessities will take care of themselves."

"Sorrow is tranquility remembered in emotion"

"You can't teach an old dogma new tricks."

I Wish I'd Written This

Our "I Wish I'd Written This" series returns next Friday with new host and poet Rosemary Nissen-Wade.  She will start by tickling our minds with a slew of Australian contemporary poets whose work is not as familiar as others found around the world.  Once we get our fill of these poets we will once again move back into a veritable array of poets from across the globe but in the meantime please enjoy the upcoming selections as they promise to be new to most of us and please give Rosemary a warm welcome as a new contributor and staff member for Poets United.

Below you will find just a little about Rosemary aka The Passionate Crone.  We here at Poets United look forward to reading her contributions.

Aussie poet Rosemary Nissen-Wade grew up in Launceston on the island of Tasmania. As an adult she lived many years in the city of Melbourne, where she attended university, worked in libraries, married and raised her children, and became active in the poetry scene during the eighties and nineties.

Her work was widely published and broadcast. She became known as a dynamic performance poet (including a stint in a poetry theatre group), an innovative teacher of creative writing at both tertiary and community levels (including a series of prison workshops), and an independent publisher of Australian poetry. Three collections of her own poetry have appeared since 1985. Only one, Secret Leopard (Alyscamps Press, 2005) is still in print.

In 1994 she and her third husband, writer Andrew Wade, moved to the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales, to a small country town near mountains and rainforest, and not too far from the ocean. It reminds her of the Tasmania she grew up in, but the climate is thankfully much warmer.

She has now embraced the internet. Her poetry has appeared in online journals and anthologies, and there is a selection at her website. New poems are aired at her poetry blogs, The Passionate Crone and Stones for the River. She also co-administers haiku, tanka and free verse groups on facebook.

Since 1992 she has also worked as a Reiki Master and a professional psychic medium.

The Thursday Think Tank # 70 - Hunger

Verb: Have a strong desire or craving for.

Noun: A feeling of discomfort or weakness caused by lack of food, coupled with the desire to eat.

What do you hunger for?  Is your hunger a true craving? When you hear the word do you think of the less fortunate who would kill for a slice of bread?  The word hunger is a very versatile word.  It can be used in so many ways and it can be the foundation for so many ideas; lust, failure, death and so much more. 

Hunger drives nations and people to commit despicable or very endearing acts of kindness.  It is a very polarizing word.  Have you ever experienced true food hunger?  A time when your stomached screamed and ached for sustenance. Maybe it was sickness that caused this and not being a less fortunate soul.  Maybe you fasted for the experience or religious reasons.

Have you ever experienced hunger as the tease of the heart?  A desire or love you could never sate but yet seemed to be stalkerish about? It left you staring at you’re wanted from around the corner unknown, hidden from others.

Maybe currently you hunger for something, a muse to help you write, a large wad of cash to pay those mounting bills.  Maybe you hunger for purpose.  Blindly, you starve; marching to a beat and living a life that is not yours but only till you can find the proper mouthful of purpose.

Here we hunger for poetry; writing it, reading it and sharing it.  Today you get to help us by feeding our starving minds with your words.  

Life of a Poet - Judy Roney

by Sherry Blue Sky

Kids, I have such a treat for you today.  Judy Roney, of   I'd Like to Say ,  is one of our long-time members, from the early days of Poets United, and a very talented one, in both poetry and art, as you will see. For Judy, as she is a special lady, I have prepared a genteel tea cart on wheels, pulled up near the fire. We have a lovely tea service, and thin little sandwiches, which we will follow with petit-fours. Gather near, for I'm about to pour.

Poets United: Judy, would you tell us a little about your life, your family, your part of the world, your career - whatever you want to share so we can see “the person behind the poetry”?

Judy: I was born in Tennessee and that is where my southern accent hails from.  Now I spend half the year in Tampa, Florida and the other half in Maggie Valley, NC.  You can imagine what seasons I spend in each place. I have the best of both worlds.  Oceans and mountains both feel spiritual to me. 

I live with an incredible man, my  husband, Bill.  We have been married forty-one years,  and I look forward to the next forty or so with him. I have two daughters, Jeni and Angie . They are both following their dreams.   I have a dashing son-in-law, Tom . I have one son, Brian,  who died when he was twenty-three.  I have four granddaughters,  three great grandsons,  and one great granddaughter.   They are all such a joy for me.

With my incredible husband, Bill

Midnight Snack (006)

A simple photo prompt for insomniacs, early birds and the rest of you.
You can post at anytime its just the night owls and early birds get the first crack at it.

Mannequins Dancing by AliciaMC at deviantART

We missed it Tuesday night but since today has availability here is this weeks photo prompt.

   Look...                  

          Think...          

Write...       

          Post...   

The Poetry Pantry Is Now Open! - #70

If you need other things to find your muse don't forget to check out The Thursday Think Tank and our Midnight Snack we posted this week.  Both are great prompts to write for.

The Poetry Pantry

2nd Chance Poems or 1st time shares

Anything goes!! All Poems, all Poets, All Week!!

Do you have a poem you would like to share? Something that you just felt inspired to write and want others to read. Perhaps it’s a poem that didn’t get as much exposure on your blog as you would have liked. Maybe it’s a poem that you wrote a long time ago that you would like people to revisit. That’s what this section of Poets United is for.

Each Sunday we start a new post with a New Mr. Linky for you. This is so that you can post a link to anything you want us to read, anything at all related to poetry or prose found on your own poetry blogs. It will remain open all week so that you can show us your writings and thoughts. You can post links weekly should you chose to do so. What poetry you put here is up to you so don't be afraid to share with us!!

Classic Poetry-Proem by Octavio Paz

Proem
by Octavio Paz
translated by Eliot Weinberger


At times poetry is the vertigo of bodies and the vertigo of speech and the vertigo of death;
the walk with eyes closed along the edge of the cliff, and the verbena in submarine gardens;
the laughter that sets on fire the rules and the holy commandments;
the descent of parachuting words onto the sands of the page;
the despair that boards a paper boat and crosses,
for forty nights and forty days, the night-sorrow sea and the day-sorrow desert;
the idolatry of the self and the desecration of the self and the dissipation of the self;
the beheading of epithets, the burial of mirrors; the recollection of pronouns freshly cut in the garden of Epicurus, and the garden of Netzahualcoyotl;
the flute solo on the terrace of memory and the dance of flames in the cave of thought;
the migrations of millions of verbs, wings and claws, seeds and hands;
the nouns, bony and full of roots, planted on the waves of language;
the love unseen and the love unheard and the love unsaid: the love in love.

Syllables seeds.



In 1914, Octavio Paz was born in Mexico City to a family of Spanish and native Mexican descent. He was educated at the National University of Mexico in law and literature.

Under the encouragement of Pablo Neruda, Paz began his poetic career in his teens by founding an avant-garde literary magazine, Barandal, and publishing his first book of poems, Luna silvestre (1933).

In his youth, Paz spent time in the United States and Spain, where he was influenced by the Modernist and Surrealist movements. His sequence of prose poems, Aguila o sol? (Eagle or Sun?, 1951) is a visionary mapping of Mexico, its past, present, and future.

His collection Piedra de Sol (Sun Stone, 1957) borrows its structure from the Aztec calendar. This long poem, and Paz's sociocultural analysis of Mexico, El laberinto de la soledad (The Labyrinth of Solitude, 1950), established him as a major literary figure in the 1950s. More on Octavio Paz...

Fridays and the "I Wish I'd Written This" Series

Poets United would like to thank Dan Simmons for his series “I Wish I’d Written This”.  It is now currently on hiatus, when or if it returns remains to be seen.  This series brought us modern published and recognized poets with unique and often amazing writing abilities.  Dan’s intent to show us the poetry world in its current state was well received and enjoyed.  Due to his other commitments and real life he will no longer be able to continue this series.  We are so grateful for his time here at Poets United and wish him well in all his future endeavors.

Currently our plans for this series are up in the air. If you are willing to become a part of Poets United and take over the responsibilities for posting the “I Wish I’d Written This” series please email us and let us know we will gladly consider you. 

As Friday is now wide open here at Poets United we are also willing to consider any other ideas you may have.  Do you want to post a regular column?  Do you have an Idea that may work?  Contact us via email and let us know.  We are open to any ideas.

One of the ideas to possibly kick around is a monthly contest of sorts. Prizes would be minimal of course possibly and Amazon gift card (no more than $10) with either a free copy of our Anthology or even a book from one of our published poets should they be willing to volunteer a copy of it.  Your thoughts and discussions on this would be welcome as this is just in the idea stage.

As Dan moves on in the blogosphere I would like to point out that for many of our contributors behind the scenes here it is often a thankless job.  Every corner of this site is kept going by individuals who volunteer their time to ensure we maintain this wonderful community.  I often ask you to take the time to thank them and I will do so again now.  All the interviews, articles, poem selections, blog selections, social media management, emails and greetings are done by a good group of 6 to 8 people who are the core of Poets United.  Please take the time to thank them.

Again thank you Dan Simmons for your time here at Poets United

Robert Lloyd 

The Thursday Think Tank # 69 - Haunted Houses

It is the first Thursday of the month and time for our photo prompt #69. Turning the calendar to October reminds me of the magic of my youth, jumping in leaves, apple picking and Halloween.

I know not what you expected, but this is the most haunted home in my town. Hard to believe right....
I hope you will pen a poem inspired by this photo, think of things that might go bump in the night. If ghosts aren't your cup of tea, then pen a poem, about who lived here and what their lives were like.
For fun, I want you to see the door. This is a close up, not photo shop, but cropped and enlarged...do you see her or do you see a tree? 

I can't wait to read what you see, hear or imagine~Ella

Life of a Poet - Rob Kistner

by Sherry Blue Sky

Kids, every week I think "this story is the best yet, how can I top this one?" Yet every week, there is another fantastically interesting poet, and life history. Invariably, when I ask a poet for an interview, they tell me they are just ordinary and can't imagine anyone would find their lives interesting. Then they proceed to blow my doors off! Rob Kistner, of Image & Verse, is just such a poet, with such a cool story.  He toured with a rock and roll band, so, instead of the usual cup of tea, light up your glowsticks, kids, and get ready to wave!

PU: Rob, so good to visit with you. Can you tell us a little about yourself and your family, and  life in your part of the world?

Rob: I reside in the Pacific Northwest, in Portland, Oregon – The Pacific Northwest is truly a paradise.  It is still pristine wilderness.  Within 90 minutes of my home in the Cascade Mountain foothills are cloud-piercing mountains, ancient old-growth forests, the Pacific Ocean, the awesome high-cliffed Oregon coast, the amazing Columbia Gorge, the breath-taking Willamette Valley, world-class wine country, and a plethora of freshwater lakes, rivers, and streams, including a trout stream at the foot of our property. 

Midnight Snack (005)

A simple photo prompt for insomniacs, early birds and the rest of you.
You can post at anytime its just the night owls and early birds get the first crack at it.

Away to the Sky by beloavaan at deviantART

   Look...                  

          Think...          

Write...       

          Post...   

The Poetry Pantry Is Now Open! - #69

If you need other things to find your muse don't forget to check out The Thursday Think Tank and our Midnight Snack we posted this week.  Both are great prompts to write for.

The Poetry Pantry

2nd Chance Poems or 1st time shares

Anything goes!! All Poems, all Poets, All Week!!

Do you have a poem you would like to share? Something that you just felt inspired to write and want others to read. Perhaps it’s a poem that didn’t get as much exposure on your blog as you would have liked. Maybe it’s a poem that you wrote a long time ago that you would like people to revisit. That’s what this section of Poets United is for.

Each Sunday we start a new post with a New Mr. Linky for you. This is so that you can post a link to anything you want us to read, anything at all related to poetry or prose found on your own poetry blogs. It will remain open all week so that you can show us your writings and thoughts. You can post links weekly should you chose to do so. What poetry you put here is up to you so don't be afraid to share with us!!

Classic Poetry - "Solitude" by Ella Wheeler Wilcox

Ella Wheeler Wilcox

1850 -1919

Solitude

Laugh, and the world laughs with you;

Weep, and you weep alone.

For the sad old earth must borrow it's mirth,

But has trouble enough of its own.

Sing, and the hills will answer;

Sigh, it is lost on the air.

The echoes bound to a joyful sound,

But shrink from voicing care.

Rejoice, and men will seek you;

Grieve, and they turn and go.

They want full measure of all your pleasure,

But they do not need your woe.

Be glad, and your friends are many;

Be sad, and you lose them all.

There are none to decline your nectared wine,

But alone you must drink life's gall.

Feast, and your halls are crowded;

Fast, and the world goes by.

Succeed and give, and it helps you live,

But no man can help you die.

There is room in the halls of pleasure

For a long and lordly train,

But one by one we must all file on

Through the narrow aisles of pain.

Ella Wheeler Wilcox was an American author and poet, best-known for her collection Poems of Passion, and her autobiography, The Worlds and I. A poet for the common man, Wilcox wrote optimistically in plainly written, rhyming verse. None of her work was included in The Oxford Book of American Verse, but thirteen of her poems appear in Best Loved Poems of the American People; and “Solitude” and “The Winds of Fate” are included in Best Remembered Poems.

Her work was popular in the New Thought Movement; and by 1915, 50,000 copies of her booklet, What I Know About New Thought had been distributed.

Here are some interesting Ella Wheeler Wilcox facts:

• Her quote "Love lights more fires than hate extinguishes" is inscribed in the pavement of Jack Kerouac Alley in San Francisco, next to City Lights Bookstore.
• The first stanza of her poem "The Man Worth While" is inscribed at Disney's Hollywood Studios, viewed by visitors in line for The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror.
• Oliver's Stone movie JFK starts with a quote from her: "To sin by silence when we should protest makes cowards out of men".
• The first stanza of "The Man Worth While" is parodied in the movie Caddyshack.
• The opening lines in her poem "Solitude" are recited in Park Chan-wook's film Oldboy.