the kindred project: day 4 (poetry)
The Kindred Project: 12 Days of Light and Yes is about sharing our stories of light and hope. The moments where we said "yes" to choosing beauty in the midst of it all. The moments where we stood in our own light. The moments where we saw someone else choose hope. The moments where another became our teacher and where we taught ourselves. Read more about the project and share your own stories in this post. During these 12 days, I am sharing a few of the lights along my path that have pushed me and taught me and held me in the midsts of it all.
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shelf of poetry . march 2011
i want to say this as simply as possible. i want to chip away at the words until i am left with a simple answer to a question i am often asked: why poetry?
poetry holds up a mirror and forces me to see truth. it makes me laugh out loud in the middle of a bookstore in portland, oregon. it invites those pinpick tears that force me to remember something i thought i had let go. it holds me while i weep. it makes me just uncomfortable enough to know i must look closer. it dances and dips and turns and stretches and lives.
poetry lives big.
(poetry saves me from myself.)
if you are sitting in your corner and wondering how to begin your relationship with poetry or perhaps you already have one and are always looking for more poems to collect...well, i invite you dare you to start here (each link below is to a poem by this list of some of my favorite poets), today, right now:
mary oliver (after you read that poem, head over to oprah.com to watch a video with ms. oliver being interviewed by maria shriver)
william stafford (more of his poetry can be found here)
david whyte (he teaches me again and again. if you have the chance to hear him speak. do it. until then, visit him on his site.)
hafiz (translated by daniel ladinsky. you should have the gift on your shelf.)
billy collins (includes collins reading his poem)
maya angelou (see dr. angelou read her poem here. soak it up.)
elizabeth bishop (read this one aloud...well, read them all aloud but for sure this one)
may sarton (how i wish i could arrive at her house for tea and ask her to read this one. [you should also read her journals. in fact, we should read them together this summer.])
marge piercy (and this one about the day her mother died...yes...read this one too)
carl sandberg (the first poem that got me thinking back in fourth grade...took a long break after that)
nikki giovanni (the women and the men is a favorite collection)
david lehman (and many other poems of lehman's have been shared on the writer's almanac and can be found here)
sharon olds (her poems often have a bit of grit and push me [teach me] big time)
and you reading this? please share any other poets who you enjoy in the comments...maybe you will even want to share a story about how poetry speaks to you in your life.
poetry, the kindred project in yes.
Reader Comments (10)
liz, oh liz, you must know kindness, by naomi shihab nye. and also, white silk?
here are links just in case.
http://elise.com/quotes/poetry/naomi.htm
http://rebeccasnavely.blogspot.com/2009/06/white-silk-naomi-shihab-nye.html
she is one of my very favorites. thank you for sharing these beautiful words!
xo,
kirsten
Kalil Gibran-the Prophet
Ulrich Schaeffer-anything of his-he combines b&w phtography seamlessly with his poems.
Lawrence Ferleghetti-beat poet extrodinnaire. Check out Coney Island Of the Mind.
Shawn Koyczan-check him out on itunes or in print. He was the beat poet who did the soul stirring "We Are More" at the opening ceremonies of the 2010 Olympic Games.
And for Ellie: Dennis Lee you must get his book "Alligator Pie". It was a staple of my childhood.
What a lovely way to start the day...remembering old favorites and discovering new ones. Thank you for introducing me to David Whyte. The first time I heard you read his words I felt him speaking to my heart.
Marge Piercy-YES..... For Strong Women. http://www.pbs.org/wnet/foolingwithwords/main_piercy.html
Rumi as translated by Coleman Barks
Stanley Kunitz, The Round, http://www.theatlantic.com/past/docs/unbound/poetry/antholog/kunitz/round.htm
This is a wonderful list ~ full of favorite poets and ones that will be ~ thank you for sharing it Liz. I also scoop up the poetry of Rumi and John O'Donohue for comfort and inspiration.
A few favorite poems are:
"A Blessing" by James Wright
"Love After Love" by Derek Walcott
"Her Kind" by Anne Sexton
"For the Young Who Want To" by Marge Piercy (I've been reading this one a lot lately)
"This Much I Do Remember" by Billy Collins (I'm transfixed by the details in this one and am forever moved by it)
The very word "poetry" makes me think of Susan Wooldridge. Her book "Poemcrazy" has been one of my favorites for years. To meet her at your "Reveal" retreat and become her student was a dream come true. I love how she drew magic out of each of us there, making us believe we were all poets; that writing poetry could be fun and playful. The way she gave life to each of our poems by reading them aloud was transformational for me. (That was such an amazing retreat all around, sacred in so many ways ~ thank you!)
i have several "poetry" stories (and a full shelf very similar to yours, too)
my english is not the greatest still that hasn't stopped me from feeling such a deep connection with poems and words
i remember yes since very little connecting, having this emotion you are talking about it
but the most important story (so far) is the one i had with my daughter in the beginning of her school year where she almost cried because she couldn't get the poem
i asked her for her textbook and here it is my beloved Naomi Shihab! i am sure i had a smile in my face, and couldn't help starting to read it out loud (and oh my you don't know this i have the thickest accent you can imagine) but guess what i must have put so much emotion that my daughter got it!
and guess what? nowadays you can ask her anything about English, stanzas, etc she has an A+
and better than that, she LOVES poems
and she acknowledges me for teaching her to love poetry
thank you for this post
bless your soul! and your gorgeous child and your very supporting husband too
hugs!
Liz, I took a picture very similar to this recently. The house we rented in Taos had a meditation hut!! Sooo awesome and really jump-started me in my meditation practice. The hut had bookshelves in it and I would sometimes have a hard time getting to meditation because of the distraction. A fabulous collection of books - meditation, spiritual practice, yoga and POETRY. I took pics of the books so I could refer back to it and - no surprise - so many of the same poets. Great. great stuff!!
oh my gosh, am i the first to mention marie howe???? she has a book called "what the living do" and it will grab your gut and twist it and appeal to your most raw of emotions....she's so great. she's coming to the national poetry conference thing that is meeting in my hometown, but it's like $37 for a single meal where she's speaking, and so....i have to pass. BUT, you MUST read her work. must must must must. i believe that book was written about her brother as he was dying from AIDS. here's a link: http://www.mariehowe.com/book_living.html
thank you all for the wonderful recommendations. i can't wait to check them all out, to savor the words, and return to the joy that poetry offers.
Great list. I love Sandra Cisneros , Nikki Finney, Anne Carson, Anne Sexton and Pablo Neruda lately. However, I have not been into nearly as much theses days. There was a time when it was my life balm.
thanks for this push back to my shelf of poetry which includes Marge Piercy (love)! one of my favorite poets is Sherman Alexie (he is also in your part of the country- Seattle) and I love all his writing which includes short stories, too. He is one of my favorite authors to hear speak and read his own work as well- being in the Midwest I have been lucky enough to hear him in person 3 times.