There are times in my life when I don’t crack open my journal. When I don’t read poetry. When I don’t even think about poetry. I wish I could say that those times were few and far between, but to be honest, they happen frequently. I can go for weeks without writing anything. During these [...]

Oh, the mysterious, mystic Sufis! They’re sometimes called Dervishes. (I always thought of them dancing. Or whirling, really. But not all do.) While the devout Muslim shows his or her devotion to Allah by praying five times a day and leading a pure life, Sufi mystics (a branch of Shia) attempt to live their lives [...]

So did you go fishing this week? Catch some great words that spun into tall tales or powerful poetry? Was it inspiring or refreshing or otherwise to delve into other’s words? What happened?!
Tell us. Leave us a link in the comments below to your blog. Or leave several comments (if you have more than one [...]

Not too long ago I spent some time talking about rhythm and meter in poetry, but I haven’t yet said much about rhyme, which is the other big thing in formal poetry. And not only is rhyme interesting, it is generally an easier topic to address.
Why rhyme?
In terms of poetry, what does rhyme bring to [...]

Read five poems by the same author, or five poems from five different poets. From each poem, choose a word you like, a word that jumps out at you. Write words cards (with one word noted on a card or paper slip), and place them in a box or an envelope. I use an old [...]

And it wasn’t Christine. Deb went to a poetry reading last night and got off-track. Thanks for waking me up!

From now until midnight one week from today, comments on this post will be open so you can leave a permalink to your blog post for this week’s contribution. Did you write a remembrance? We hope [...]

We know you are ready to post it up … but we’re doing a schedule shiftaroo around here.
So, hold your horses and (or go ahead and post here if you must, just be sure to) come back Sept. 18.
In the meantime, think of all the extra time you have to write! If you don’t find [...]

A few weeks ago Tom’s article inspired us (Christine and Deb) to ask you to help us write a rengu. Below is that result, so far. (The linked first word leads you to the contributor’s blog.)
* * *
Hot pavements –
littered with
tired bees.
Sunshine on fresh grass
I am stuck inside
writing poetry.
A meandering of ants
to a forgotten popsicle.
Dry [...]

Poetry is about the grief. Politics is about the grievance.
–Robert Frost
Each culture has within its collective memory those moments which call for heightened awareness. Sometimes we remember historic events with great joy, but all too often the events trigger grief and mourning.
Poets often write ballads, songs, odes, epitaphs, elegies and elegiac verse to commemorate significant [...]

I love the phrase: “smoke ‘em if you’ve got ‘em.” It’s more colloquial than carpe diem, and it’s a cowboy version of laisser-faire.
It’s also a very colorful, concise way to say, “Do what you want when the mood strikes you,” and “If you have something at your disposal you can use, go right ahead.”
As [...]