Treat a Poem Like Dirt

April 8, 2015.Reading time less than 1 minute.

Poetry Month has made me pay attention to poetry again. In doing so, I’ve realized how limited my experience with it is. The upside to this realization is that every foray into the world of poetry leads to a new discovery. A discovery like How to Read a Poem: Beginner’s Manual by contemporary writer Pamela […]

One Wild and Precious Life

April 7, 2015.Reading time less than 1 minute.

The question posed at the end of Mary Oliver’s poem The Summer Day is likely more familiar than the poem itself. I’m sure you’ll find it on T-shirts and pallet art and graduation cards. It’s a beautiful question. But I think we owe it to Mary Oliver to read it in context. Click here to read it. Related Posts:Poetry […]

If

April 6, 2015.Reading time 2 minutes.

I’ve loved this poem since my junior year of high school. Back then, I substituted the words “woman” and “daughter” for “man” and “son” at the end. Of course. If by Rudyard Kipling If you can keep your head when all about you Are losing theirs and blaming it on you; If you can trust […]

The Epilogue