Keep Us Steadfast Nov10

Keep Us Steadfast

Today is the birthday of Martin Luther, born in 1483, and so it seemed appropriate to choose of the hymns he wrote as the poem for this week. Luther’s poetry – for what are lyrics but poetry set to music – changed the course of cultural history in the West as much as almost anything else...

Daring Greatly Nov03

Daring Greatly

Today’s poem is, well, not a poem. Rather, it is a portion of a speech given by Teddy Roosevelt at the Sorbonne, in Paris, in 1910. I was introduced to it by reading Brene Brown’s recent book, Daring Greatly, which is not only a fantastic read but whose title is inspired by Roosevelt’s...

A Prayer Among Friends Oct20

A Prayer Among Frien...

As I’ve often said, although I don’t understand prayer, I still do it. And this poem, John Daniel’s “A Prayer among Friends,” gets at part of the reason why: the very act of prayer calls things to mind that we might not otherwise notice. Prayer invites a measure of attention, and in...

Wind on the Hill Oct06

Wind on the Hill

The weather took a turn this week, dropping from near eighty degrees on Wednesday to a high in the low forties on Thursday and Friday. I know it will likely warm up, at least a bit, but it sure feels like we’ve turned the corner and cannot count on seeing the warm sunny days we’ve enjoyed of late for another six months. And it’s been windy. The kind of wind that blows leaves in swirls and makes it nearly impossible to rake. All of which put me in mind of A. A. Milne’s “Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day,” which isn’t a poem, or even a book, of course, but Disney’s animated movie based on several A. A. Milne’s Pooh...

Do Not Go Gently Jul28

Do Not Go Gently

As I’ve said before, I struggle with poetry. I am, I think, an impatient reader. I value clarity of thought and precision of expression. Poetry, though, doesn’t walk in straight lines. It makes you think. There is an elegance as well as precision in poetry, but it is hard won. But...