THE BLOG ENTRY BEGINS NOW. I was inspired to write this piece after reading Bright Wings: An Illustrated Anthology of Poems About Birds, edited by Billy Collins and illustrated by David Allen Sibley. This poem captures a scene I witnessed in July while visiting Victoria, Canada. This version of the poem benefits from the feedback of local first readers JG and JH. THE POEM’S TITLE BEGINS NOW. TARGET: PEACOCK THE POEM’S TEXT BEGINS NOW. On a stretch of grass in Victoria’s public park not far from the statue of Queen Elizabeth… Read more “Target: Peacock” →
This sonnet-like poem is dedicated to my daughter, with whom I went to Paris in spring 2009. My first trip to Paris was on honeymoon; my second trip was with my MFA program. THE POEM STARTS NOW EUPHORIA That first time in Paris, I was deep in love with my new husband. On a second stay, I adored the poets who taught me Beaudelaire. Now here for another visit, one spring week, I come to arrange some daily trysts between this dashing city and ma fille jolie charming and clever,… Read more “Euphoria” →
I wrote this poem after reading Donald Revell’s The Art of Attention: A Poet’s Eye, a book which inspired me to try to write effortlessly, paying close attention to nature and to my own awareness. (Alas, I couldn’t help but revise this poem with much effort.) This poem is autobiographical, based on my regrettable procrastination in transplanting a young tree. VANDAL I let a maple sapling grow past June underneath the porch’s flag pole. By August its roots will snarl our basement pipes and plumbing. Squeezed between concrete and the… Read more “Vandal” →
.. This poem is a re-working of a villanelle I wrote years ago about the September 11, 2001 attacks. The form and sound of these syllabic, 14-line stanzas were influenced by Seamus Heaney’s poem “Casualty.” This version benefits from the feedback of my two local first readers JG and JH. I fact-checked the details by reading Wikipedia, by consulting with my husband, and by emailing an early draft to the teacher Mrs. White; however, the “doing sums” is a plausible fiction. This poem is one of many in a book… Read more “That Tuesday” →
