Category Archives: Poetry

BOOK: “Dear Lovely Death” by Langston Hughes

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Dear Lovely DeathDear Lovely Death by Langston Hughes
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Second Story Books Page

This, Langston Hughes’ fourth poetry collection — published in 1931, consists of twelve short poems about (or touching upon) death. Originally, Hughes only had a small run of this collection self-published, so it isn’t always listed among his works.

These poems are short and lyrical. The last few poems are not so explicitly about death as the early ones. However, given that old chestnut (variously attributed to Robert Graves and Samuel Delany) that all poems are about love, death, or the change of seasons, these would definitely hit the second category.

I’d recommend this collection for poetry readers.

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BOOK: “The Negro Mother: And Other Dramatic Recitations” by Langston Hughes

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The Negro Mother: And Other Dramatic RecitationsThe Negro Mother: And Other Dramatic Recitations by Langston Hughes
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Google Books Site

This short volume consists of just five intermediate length lyric poems. The poems included are: “The Coloured Soldier,” “Broke,” “The Big-Timer,” “The Negro Mother,” and “Dark Youth of the USA.”

This collection stands out from Hughes’ others. Each poem is a character sketch, a snapshot of tribulations suffered by black Americans in Hughes’ day (published in 1931.) The poems are longer and more biographic than most of Hughes’ work.

This is a powerful collection of poems, and I’d highly recommend it for poetry readers.

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Last Green Days [Haiku]

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early autumn,
 color shift begins —
  green days numbered.

Wake Ripples [Haiku]

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wake ripples
 quietly lap ashore;
  boat unseen.

Half Moon Haiku

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Autumn half moon
 shows itself in an
  azure sky.

BOOKS: “Poems, 1965-1975” by Seamus Heaney

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Seamus Heaney: Poems 1965 1975Seamus Heaney: Poems 1965 1975 by Seamus Heaney
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Publisher Site – McMillan FSG

This book gathers the poetry of the four Seamus Heaney collections that come out during the titularly referenced decade. This is his early work, his first four published collections, and includes: Death of a Naturalist, Door into the Dark, Wintering Out, and North.

I enjoy reading Heaney’s work. His poems tend to have a country influence and have a physicality that give them heft. Though in the latter half of the collection, there is increasing political influence — i.e. regarding the issue of Northern Ireland. Heaney’s poems often remind me of those of Robert Frost, though Heaney wrote much more free verse. Heaney had a love of words that some will adore while others find it distracting for the frequent visits to the dictionary with arcane words.

I’d recommend this collection for all poetry readers — especially if you love Frost (particularly for content, not form,) you’ll really enjoy the poems of Seamus Heaney.

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Lonely Mushroom [Haiku]

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lonely mushroom
 climbs out from under a rock;
  after autumn rain.

PROMPT: Celebrity

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Which celebrity would you love to meet, and what would you talk about?

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Anne Carson just won the Nobel Prize for Literature. Does that count as a celebrity? She’s still in the 15 minutes of fame that comes from the recent announcement. She’d be interesting to talk to about poetry.

If it does not count, I would have to say that the more clearly a celebrity would count, probably the less interested I am in talking to them. I can’t think of any A-list actors / actresses or pop stars that appeal. Maybe a few rock stars and standup comedians — e.g. Bruce Springsteen to talk about lyrics or Louis C.K. about jokes.

Tree Face [Senryū]

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two big eyes:
 face in a tree trunk
  unsettles me.

American Beautyberry [Haiku]

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Beautyberries,
 dense clusters of fuchsia,
  lure hungry birds.