I Wish I'd Written This

Nationality

By Mary Gilmore (1865-1962)

I have grown past hate and bitterness,
I see the world as one:
Yet, though I can no longer hate,
My son is still my son.

All men at God's round table sit
And all men must be fed;
But this loaf in my hand,
This loaf is my son's bread.



Dame Mary Gilmore was such an Australian icon that she is shown on the Australian ten dollar note and has appeared on a postage stamp. She is also the subject of a famous portrait by prize-winning artist William Dobell. In its notes on this portrait, the Art Gallery of New South Wales describes Gilmore as 'a distinguished humanitarian, poet, left-wing political activist and social reformer.'

She lived an eventful life which included her participation in the Australian expedition to Paraguay to try and form a 'New Australia' — a scheme which eventually failed. She worked as a schoolteacher when young, and later edited the Women's Page of The Australian Worker. Her work was featured in the influential weekly, The Bulletin. She was one of Australia's earliest feminists, and a generous promoter of other poets and artists.

She claimed to have been engaged to another famous Australian, Henry Lawson but there is some doubt about this. What is certain is that she married fellow Australian colonist William Alexander Gilmore in Paraguay and they had one son. They returned a few years later to live in Australia.

And there is so much more to say about her! Read her biographical details here, and anecdotes of her final years here.

In 1937 she was made a Dame of the British Empire for her services to Australian literature.

There is now a biennial (previously annual) literary award in her name, for a first book of poetry. (The first winner, in 1985, was Doris Brett for her book The Truth About Unicorns, the title poem of which was featured in this series on February 17 this year.)

A Google search for her books reveals more books about her than by her, and those by her can be very expensive. However you can read more of her poems here. Another I'm particularly fond of is Eve-Song.

The one I've chosen to share with you is one of her best-known. While I like its directness and see that it must have been painstakingly crafted within the outwardly simple form, I choose it above all for the sentiments. As we say nowadays, she really nails it!

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

Think Tank Thursday #112 Recipe

I have been sick.  I was a bit behind on the Dali poems!  I must say you didn't disappointed~ All of your poems were unique gems!  I love the ways your wrote about him, his lifestyle and view.

Today,  I thought we could write a recipe. A poem about a recipe.  It does not have to be food related, it could be a recipe for life, a recipe of a favorite hobby, something you dabble in and would like to share.  I think my last post may have started this train of thought. I shared my secret hobby. I like to play stylist in stores.  Maybe it was the phone call to my Mom?!  I did call her and ask her for a and where did it originate.  If you chose to write about food,  I hope you will add your memories in a bit.  I love how our senses stir our memories.   Recipe is our #112 prompt.

Favourite Recipes - Day 172by *escaped-emotions

 

just a hobbyby ~Adamax08

 

 

Recipe Of Loveby `tracie76

 I hope you will share a recipe with us, I mean poem! I look forward to your delicious offerings :D

 

If you have a prompt idea (even a Music or Film inspired one) that you would like to suggest or share with us please send it to poetsunited@ymail.com . We keep a folder set aside with all your suggestions and just might use it one day.

 

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.

 

 

 

 

Life of a Poet - Susan Chast

Kids, in our interconnecting  circles online, we bump into each other in many of the same venues. One of the emergent voices in recent months is Susan Chast, of Susan's Poetry. Susan has a wonderfully clear poetic voice, and a very intriguing philosophy and belief system. So come fly with me, as we swoop over to Philadelphia, home of the famous song. We shall need at least two cups of tea, for this conversation is going to be very interesting, and we don't want to miss a single word.

Poets United: Susan, it's wonderful to be chatting with you at last. Would you set the scene for us? What does your life look like these days?

Susan, on-site and......

...........on the Isle of Skye

Vice Versa - #13

Every Tuesday you will find  Vice/Versa  posted here at 12:01 a.m.

Please, when you link your own writing, do others who link the courtesy of visiting their links as well.  It truly is such a small group this is very possible.  Don't just 'link and run.'  And if someone visits your blog, please visit theirs in return; as we are all about community and reciprocity here.

 For this week's “Vice/Versa” I am going to shake it up a bit.  I have posted three random words along with their polar opposites (Otherwise known as antonyms). Chose TWO of the pairs (or all three if you really are feeling creative.) Write something using all four words. (Or six!)
 

This week's  

Vice Versa

Write poetry or prose using four words, two sets of opposites (your choice).  It can be any form of poetry or prose.  Post your related scribbling and leave a comment. (We love comments too.)  Then enjoy the writings of others who post here and see how they differ from you.

Object/Welcome

&

Despair /Hope
&
Embrace / Neglect

               Simple Rules

• Post any time; it's just the night owls who get first crack.
• Make sure to visit other  scribes.
• Leave us a comment about the words before you  nod off.
• Or just a comment saying hi!
• Most of all, enjoy!

Poetry Pantry - #112

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 found on your own poetry blogs.  Link a specific POEM.  I will be leaving Mr. Linky open until 11 p.m. (central) Monday night for posting your link; but you can visit other linkers after that time. If you are one of the later ones to post your link, it is helpful for you to make the rounds of others who have posted previously....and hopefully those who have linked earlier will then return visits to you.  I truly believe in the power and the joy of community here at Poets United.

There 3 simple rules:

1. Don’t link to more than 1 poem.  If you link more than one, anything after #1 will be removed.

2. Please visit several other poems linked here when you link to yours. Please
don't just link and run, waiting for others to visit you.  That's no fun.  I notice people who post in Poetry Pantry are becoming VERY good at visiting others.  That makes us all feel good.
 

3. Leave a comment after you have posted
your link.  I find that people who leave comments tend to be more participatory.  They wish to be part of the community.  A little of this goes a long way.  It feels good for all.

I Wish I'd Written This

The Orange Tree

By John Shaw Neilson (1872-1942)

The young girl stood beside me.  I 

Saw not what her young eyes could see:
– A light, she said, not of the sky
Lives somewhere in the Orange Tree.

– Is it, I said, of east or west?
The heartbeat of a luminous boy
Who with his faltering flute confessed
Only the edges of his joy?

Was he, I said, borne to the blue
In a mad escapade of Spring
Ere he could make a fond adieu
To his love in the blossoming?

– Listen! the young girl said. There calls
No voice, no music beats on me;
But it is almost sound: it falls
This evening on the Orange Tree.

– Does he, I said, so fear the Spring
Ere the white sap too far can climb?
See in the full gold evening
All happenings of the olden time?

Is he so goaded by the green?
Does the compulsion of the dew
Make him unknowable but keen
Asking with beauty of the blue? 

– Listen! the young girl said. For all

Your hapless talk you fail to see
There is a light, a step, a call
This evening on the Orange Tree.

– Is it, 1 said, a waste of love
Imperishably old in pain,
Moving as an affrighted dove
Under the sunlight or the rain?

Is it a fluttering heart that gave
Too willingly and was reviled?
Is it the stammering at a grave,
The last word of a little child?

– Silence! the young girl said. Oh, why,
Why will you talk to weary me?
Plague me no longer now, for I
Am listening like the Orange Tree. 

When I was  only 13, I won a High School prize for a poem in the school magazine. (Yes, you bet I'm skiting about it, even now!) The prize was The Collected Poems of John Shaw Neilson, whom I had been unaware of until then.  Beautiful, magical verses — a revelation to me. He has remained one of my most beloved poets ever since, and I still have that treasured volume.  This is my favourite of his poems — for its mysticism and mystery.

The link on his name takes you to a detailed biography.  

Poem Hunter says, in part: 

Slightly built, for most of his life [Australian poet] John Shaw Neilson worked as a labourer, fruit-picking, clearing scrub, navvying and working in quarries, and, after 1928, working as a messenger with the Country Roads Board in Melbourne. Largely untrained and only basically educated, Neilson became known as one of Australia's finest lyric poets, who wrote a great deal about the natural world, and the beauty in it.

He was a slender man of medium height with a face that suggested his kindliness, refinement and innate beauty of character. He was glad to have his work appreciated, but it never affected his simplicity and modesty. He was slow in developing, perhaps ... he had to learn the words with which to express himself. There is little suggestion of an intellectual background to his work, but the range of his emotions is beautifully expressed with apparently unconscious artistry, in phrases that often have the touch of magic that marks the true poet.

His books are available at Amazon.  Or you can read all his poems here or here.  Enjoy!

Any poem or photo used in ‘I Wish I’d Written This’ remains the property of the copyright holder (usually its author).

Think Tank Thursday #111 Salvador Dali

Your Dream Catcher poems were brilliant! They dazzled and were woven with so many intricate thoughts~

Yes, poets it is time for an art prompt. Today we are going to draw our attention to Salvador Dali. A surrealist painter with a controversial view.  He was born in Spain and lived from (January 23, 1989-May 11, 1904).  His art musings were also extended to film, theater, sculpture, photography and fashion.

There are hints of many types of painting techniques, in his art.  Cubism was a huge part of his process.  He studied art at the Academia de San Fernando (School of Fine Arts).  He was expelled from the Academia in 1926, right before his final exams.  He was accused of causing an unrest.  Later that year,  "he made his first visit to Paris, where he met Pablo Picasso, whom the young Dalí revered.  Picasso had already heard favorable reports about Dalí from Joan Miró.  As he developed his own style over the next few years, Dalí made a number of works heavily influenced by Picasso and Miró."   *Wikipedia

He developed the term paranoiac-critical method.  It is a surrealist technique which involves optical illusions and multiple images.  He loved to be in the public eye.  His actions drew more attention, than his artwork.  He married his muse, Gala.  They did not have  children.

 *photo courtesy of Wikipedia


  You can read more about him here and here.  His life even ended in controversy. "There have been allegations that Dalí was forced by his guardians to sign blank canvases that would later, even after his death, be used in forgeries and sold as originals.^[ As a result, art dealers tend to be wary of late works attributed to Dalí. *Wikipedia

                Basket of Bread 1926 was his first painting, that welcomed him to the art world.

             The Persistence of Memory, 1931                     

 His most well known painting!

Ballerina in a Death's-Head, 1939

    Meditative Rose, 1958

There are many interpretations of his art.  I thought his artwork would make a great prompt.  What do you see through his art?   Some of it is a bit shocking.  I shared what I consider his most tame.  If you chose to select another form it is up to you. You could blur the lines and capture his unique view or a fragment of his insight.   I think seeing the canvas, as a poet will paint many new thoughts.  When you write your poem you might consider if you see genius or madness.  I look forward to your interpretations, I mean poems ;D

If you have a prompt idea (even a Music or Film inspired one) that you would like to suggest or share with us please send it to poetsunited@ymail.com . We keep a folder set aside with all your suggestions and just might use it one day.

 

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.

Life of a Poet - Hank (Kaykuala)

Kids, traveling around the blogosphere, I'm sure you must have come across Hank, (Kaykuala), at Rainbow,  a faithful participant at Poets United and other sites. It's always so cool to find a gentleman poet to interview, amongst all us gals......so hop aboard as we wing along to beautiful Malayasia, to see what life is like through Kaykuala's eyes.

Poets United: Hank, I visited around your blogs a bit, and am wondering what part of the world you live in? Are you still  in Malaysia?

Hank, "in Gay Paree, a long time ago",

as he wrote on his blog yesterday!

Vice Versa - #12

Every Tuesday you will find either Vice/Versa  posted here at 12:01 a.m.

Please, when you link your own writing, do others who link the courtesy of visiting their links as well.  It truly is such a small group this is very possible.  Don't just 'link and run.'  And if someone visits your blog, please visit theirs in return; as we are all about community and reciprocity here.

 For this week's “Vice/Versa” two random words will be posted along with their polar opposites (Otherwise known as antonyms). Write something using all four words. It can be any form of writing; poetry, prose, short stories or whatever else.

This week's  

Vice Versa

Write poetry or prose using all four words.  It can be any form of poetry or prose.  Post your related scribbling and leave a comment. (We love comments too.)  Then enjoy the writings of others who post here and see how they differ from you.

Harmony/Discord

&

Triumph /Fail

               Simple Rules

• Post any time; it's just the night owls who get first crack.
• Make sure to visit other  scribes.
• Leave us a comment about the words before you  nod off.
• Or just a comment saying hi!
• Most of all, enjoy!

Poetry Pantry - #111

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.  Please, however, do not link a 'meme.'  Link a specific POEM.

There 3 simple rules:

1. Don’t link to more than 1 poem per week.  If you link more than one, anything after #1 will be removed.

2. Please visit several other poems linked here when you link to yours. Please
don't just link and run, waiting for others to visit you.  I noticed last week a lot of link and run people....those who never visited anyone else's blog.  What if everyone did that???

3. Leave a comment after you have posted
your link.  I find that people who leave comments tend to be more participatory.  They wish to be part of the community.  A little of this goes a long way.  It feels good for all.

Classic Poetry - "An Argument" by Thomas Moore

Thomas Moore, 1779 - 1852

An Argument

I've oft been told by learned friars,
That wishing and the crime are one,
And Heaven punishes desires
As much as if the deed were done.

If wishing damns us, you and I
Are damned to all our heart's content;
Come, then, at least we may enjoy
Some pleasure for our punishment!

Based on this short verse, an anomaly for Thomas Moore, a London-trained lawyer better known as poet, singer, songwriter and entertainer, one can assume he subscribed to the "eat, drink and be merry" philosophy.

Seems to have worked for him. During an era when the average life expectancy for a white male was just under 50, this prolific producer lived to be 72 and is considered Ireland's National Bard.

Raise your glass!

I Wish I'd Written This

Mid-February

I wish you could hear how quiet it is here. The last of summer’s nights. The shh shh shh of the wind in the eucalyptus leaves. The snap of dry grass and twigs under the dog’s paws. Cicadas. It’s another kind of song. I wish you could see how dark the night sky is. Here. The stars. The sky full and rich, hangs velvet curtain low. After the rush of stories and words and sorrow and music and a thumping beat. This is all I want. I don’t seek the grit, the dirt, the tarnish of before. More than anything this stillness. This alive. This quiet. This solitude. This alone. I think sadness stains skin and teeth and bones and tongue and eyelids and fingertips. I think it soaks and seeps and bleaches strong.  There are so many descriptions, dark and bruised and melancholy. I think of cherries and blueberries and the tart sweetness of my tongue. My purple blue stained fingers. And always we must do something to clean the stain, to cleanse and to make fresh and bright and shiny. Like happiness is an imperative. I can listen to the song without singing, I’ll take the imperfect sweet, I’ll wear the stain. More than anything this alone. This dark heavy with stars. To make my own.

******************

This comes from a blog called She Was. The author says: 'Everything I write here is yours to make of as you wish.' What I make of it is that it's prose-poetry. (And occasionally she even breaks into actual verse.)

The blog is minimalist, plain black and white, elegant but undecorated. It is also anonymous. I do know the first name of the author and a tiny part of her history, as I have been following her posts for a long time and we have had a little correspondence. Suffice to say that when I first encountered her blog — which had a different name then — she was a young expatriate Australian living in Greece. Her marriage to a Greek man was breaking up, and she was very homesick. Soon afterwards she returned home to live. Some of her posts at that time were autobiographical, others were presented as pieces of fiction, even if they did contain factual elements. (Well, I was never sure if they did.) Either way, the beauty, intensity and originality of the writing astounded and captivated me.

After she came back home, at some point she changed the name of the blog, and the posts became more mysterious and even more interior. She goes into the most revealing detail about thoughts and feelings, without giving away anything more than she needs to on the practical level. I assume the writing is autobiographical, but sometimes I wonder — and in any case it doesn't actually matter. What matters is the undoubted truth of the emotional reality she describes. That's so true it could burn you!

She tells me it's hard for her to see her writing as 'good'. But there must be some sort of compulsion, as she keeps doing it. I think that's the vocation of a true writer. Anyway, I hope she continues, because it's extraordinary and wonderful. I've never found anything else like it.

So there's no photo this time, and no list of published books to refer you to. The only place I know to find more of her writing is the blog itself. She doesn't make it easy to scroll back through past posts, either, but persevere — this writing is worth it.

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

The Think Tank Thursday #110 Dream Catcher

 I loved your book poems!   I added more wonderful finds,  to my wish list. I was a bit late reading them all, but I did finish!  One poem that stood out to me was Salem Lorot's.   He based his poem on the book Think Big by Ben Carson.  Another poem with insight was by Rhonda Palmer. They both so captured the beauty of the written word and the value of books!  If you get a chance go visit their extraordinary contributions :D


I remember the first time, I bought a dream catcher. My son was little, we were living in Alaska. He was having nightmares. I remember one day at the Navy Exchange there was a Native American Arts n' Crafts show.  We both were fascinated and I remember hearing about the dream catcher legend. I decided to buy him one. I told him, we couldn't get the large ones. We needed a small one, for now. The huge ones, were gorgeous, but very expensive.  I told him how this would help.  We talked to the craftsman and he told us how spiders and nature inspired the legend.  I love the magic, of this Native American art form.

 

Dream catcherby ~Goodka8

History of Dream Catchers  *found here

"Long ago when the word was sound, an old Lakota spiritual leader was on a high mountain and had a vision. In his vision, Iktomi, the great trickster and searcher of wisdom, appeared in the form of a spider. Iktomi spoke to him in a sacred language. As he spoke, Iktomi the spider picked up the elder's willow hoop which had feathers, horsehair, beads and offerings on it, and began to spin a web. He spoke to the elder about the cycles of life, how we begin our lives as infants, move on through childhood and on to adulthood. Finally we go to old age where we must be taken care of as infants, completing the cycle.
But, Iktomi said as he continued to spin his web, in each time of life there are many forces, some good and some bad. If you listen to the good forces, they will steer you in the right direction. But, if you listen to the bad forces, they'll steer you in the wrong direction and may hurt you. So these forces can help, or can interfere with the harmony of Nature. While the spider spoke, he continued to weave his web.
When Iktomi finished speaking, he gave the elder the web and said, The web is a perfect circle with a hole in the center. Use the web to help your people reach their goals, making good use of their ideas, dreams and visions. If you believe in the great spirit, the web will filter your good ideas and the bad ones will be trapped and will not pass.

The elder passed on his vision onto the people and now many Indian people have a dreamcatcher above their bed to sift their dreams and visions. The good will pass through the center hole to the sleeping person. The evil in their dreams are captured in the web, where they perish in the light of the morning sun.  It is said the dream catcher holds the destiny of the future." *DreamCatcher. org

 

Storytimeby =Pajunen

Dream Catcherby =Pajunen

 

 "Who looks outside, dreams: who looks inside,  awakes." -Carl Jung

 

 “Dreams are free therapy. Consult your inner Freud.” -Grey Livingston

 

“Dreams are illustrations… from the book your soul is writing about you.” -Marsha Norman

 

 

 

Yes, we are going to play with the idea of dreams and catching nightmares.  Our prompt this week is #110  DREAM CATCHER! 

 

If you have a prompt idea (even a Music or Film inspired one) that you would like to suggest or share with us please send it to poetsunited@ymail.com . We keep a folder set aside with all your suggestions and just might use it one day.

 

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.

 

 

Life of a Poet - Lorna Cahall

Kids, this week we're zipping down to Oregon, one of my favorite states, to visit with Lorna Cahall, about whose poetry a review on Amazon states her poems " reveal the author's reaching for personal wholeness through the metaphors found in nature and experience." The reviewer continues, "She constructs a spiritual pathway through...our longing for unity with a greater whole." So you can see why I was drawn to finding out more about this member of our poetic community. Come sit by me. Sun is heading towards sunset, iced tea is awaiting us, and we are about to embark on a very interesting journey through this poet's life.

Poets United: Lorna, I am so happy to be sitting down with you. Would you set the scene for us, a little?

Vice Versa - #11

Every Tuesday you will find either Vice/Versa or Midnight Snack posted here at 12:01 a.m.

Please, when you link your own writing, do others who link the courtesy of visiting their links as well.  It truly is such a small group this is very possible.  Don't just 'link and run.'  And if someone visits your blog, please visit theirs in return; as we are all about community and reciprocity here.

 For this week's “Vice/Versa” two random words will be posted along with their polar opposites (Otherwise known as antonyms). Write something using all four words. It can be any form of writing; poetry, prose, short stories or whatever else.

This week's  

Vice Versa

Write poetry or prose using all four words.  It can be any form of poetry or prose.  Post your related scribbling and leave a comment. (We love comments too.)  Then enjoy the writings of others who post here and see how they differ from you.

Unique/Ordinary

&

Condemn /Praise

               Simple Rules

• Post any time; it's just the night owls who get first crack.
• Make sure to visit other  scribes.
• Leave us a comment about the photo or words before you  nod off.
• Or just a comment saying hi!
• Most of all, enjoy!

Poetry Pantry - #110

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 a poem you wish us to read.  (Please don't link to prompt / other meme sites!)

There 3 simple rules:

1. Don’t link to more than 1 poem per week.

2. Please visit several other poems linked here when you link to yours. Please
don't just link and run, waiting for others to visit you. (This happens way too often.)

3. Leave a comment after you have posted
your link.  We DO like to hear from members of our community!

I Wish I'd Written This

Independent Souls

By Pearl Pirie

dedicated to Bearess, Russian Blue

She walked with the smooth imperceptible movement 

Of clear midnight, striding from silence to silence, 

Hair dipped in moonlight silver the day was her own.

But just when my mind's shadows clouded the sunshine, 

She'd appear, her eyes, quills, widening to black moons, 

Face buried into my chest. She murmured, bristles softening,

She gave herself over to these arms that still reach for her. 

She would settle in, with a warm weighty solid trust that was

Uniquely her own. . .At my touch 

Her spine had all the struggling resistance 

Of a lover's, a ragdoll, an afghan blanket, 

She draped me without a baby's sweaty cling. 

She would stay in my arms until she knew 

She was no longer needed so much. 

Then she'd slide away, 

Slipped like a silk shirt off a hanger.

It will come as no surprise to Pearl that I have chosen this particular poem. She knows I'm a cat-lover too; in fact my first cat (not a Russian Blue but a tabby) used to comfort me like this. The poem is from her chapbook Haiku Quiet, one of a series entitled Page Half-Full Poems. Obviously, the name of the book does not mean it is full of actual haiku, though it does contain three, and two senryu. The sub-title explains it as: 'short poems of the inner quiet moment'.

Pearl lives in Ottawa, Canada, so we only know each other online. We met in September 2007 when we both took part in a month of poetry prompts hosted by John Hewitt at his Poewar website, aka Writer's Resource Centre. It was the first time I ever participated in anything like that, and the first time Hewitt hosted it. It was fun and exciting, with a global group of good poets who totally entered into the spirit of it. Pearl astonished us with experimental work, notably an incredible cutup. I have since learned that she is a very diverse poet, not to mention a very original one. She loves to indulge in intricate wordplay, with the emphasis on play, leaving me open-mouthed at its brilliance. Striking as that is, it doesn't wholly define her poetry, which ranges across many moods, styles and poetics.

A prolific poet, she is well-known and very active on the Canadian poetry scene. You can find many links if you Google her, but the most efficient way is to go to her comprehensive and well-organised website via the link on her name, above. You'll find there directions to her poems online and to her books. At the end of the 'Bio' section of her website is a list of her main blogs — not all of them poetry; all of them worth a look.

I will just add that, over the years of reading each other's stuff online, she has become a caring and supportive friend whose opinion I trust.

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

The Think Thank Thursday #109 Books

I thought it would be fun, to discover what everyone is reading these days.  I mean isn't there a whole industry based on Summer reads.  If you aren't per say reading anything right now...no worries.  You can share something you have read in the past, that struck a chord with you.  I find a lot of art is inspired from the written word.  I frequent art blogs and a lot of artists will read a book and then make art. There is a writer that actually crafts art from her characters and then writes the book. Her names is Jennifer Crusie.  Right now I am reading The Lost Wife by Alyson Richman.  

"In pre-war Prague, the dreams of two young lovers are shattered when they are separated by the Nazi invasion. Then, decades later, thousands of miles away in New York, there's an inescapable glance of recognition between two strangers. Providence is giving Lenka and Josef one more chance."

books.by ~extrasist0le

Love for booksby ~BourbonInYourEyes

 

Booksby ~AKAGoldfish

"You cannot open a book without learning something."

 ~Confucius

 

"There is no friend as loyal as a book."

~Ernest Hemingway

"There is no Frigate like a book to take us lands away nor any coursers like a page of prancing Poetry."  ~Emily Dickinson

 There is no right or wrong way to do this. Pick a book and pen a poem, in regards to how the book made you feel.  If you haven't finished the book, go with what you have read so far.  I doubt many of us are reading the same book. I thought  it would be fun, to explore what everyone is reading. Then we can all add more books to our wish list ;D.

I loved the compass poems...Sorry, I was late to get to all of them.  I started mine, but it never quite came together. I might find a way to use it later on ;D   Perhaps this is a hint for another prompt, lol.   I look forward to your Summer reads and the magic of your poems! 

 There 3 simple rules:

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

2. Please visit several other poems linked here when you link to yours. Please
   don't just link and run, waiting for others to visit you.

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

Life of a Poet - Dennis Go

Today, kids, we are going to a very beautiful place on the planet, the Phillipines, a country of very lovely people, my adorable daughter-in-law's home country. We are visiting Dennis Go, of Deeper Linings. Dennis is a faithful and regular participant at Poets United. I am envisioning  beautiful palm trees, ocean breezes, and people zipping about on jeepneys. Hold on! We're driving perilously fast, and the streets are jammed with people, and all manner of vehicles. We are plunged deep into the middle of Life, teeming with humanity.

Poets United: Dennis, you are a man of mystery. I found no clues on your site, and look forward to visiting with you. Would you please tell us about your life?