Read this, and think of ISIS: THE SECOND COMING (W.B Yeats) Turning and turning in the widening gyre The falcon cannot hear the falconer; Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold; Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world, The blood-dimmed … Continue reading →
That Nobel Peace Prize for Obama certainly was premature, wasn’t it? Since he has become president, it’s been a challenge to name a part of the world that has not gotten worse rather than better. Turns out that America as … Continue reading →
…says Leonard Cohen. A likely story. If Cohen’s mind is like the DMV, it’s not like any DMV I’ve ever been to. Cohen’s interview is a fascinating reflection on creativity and work: Before I can discard the verse, I have … Continue reading →
Richard Fernandez has written another great great article. Probably one of his best, and that’s saying something. Someone in the comments section there made reference to this 1902 Kipling poem which I’d never even seen before. I was impressed enough … Continue reading →
Read it, but have a good stiff drink by your side. And lock up all sharp objects. Because if you’re not already profoundly depressed, his essay will depress you. I can’t quarrel with what he writes; it’s what I would … Continue reading →
This NY Times article is about the contest by which Newark, New Jersey elected its new mayor, Councilman Ras Baraka, who according to the Times is “the fiery scion of a militant poet.” The contest—between two black Democrats—was both expensive … Continue reading →
Yes, I know that technically spring’s been here for quite a while. But northern climes don’t get to see it so quickly. In 1913, about a hundred years ago, Robert Frost wrote about the transition of the seasons in one … Continue reading →
[NOTE: Gerard Vanderleun recycled an old post of his at American Digest, an ode to the rainy season in Seattle. Which reminds me that, way back when, I wrote an answering poem—only mine was an ode to snow season in … Continue reading →
[Bumped up.] I’ve been reading another book about Robert Frost, and I keep coming across fascinating tidbits. For example, the following is taken from a letter Frost wrote to the Amherst student newspaper in 1935, and it gives some perspective: … Continue reading →
The following is from a speech Robert Frost gave at Bread Loaf on July 4, 1960 (from the book Robert Frost: A Living Voice, edited by Reginald L. Cook), where he’s describing an encounter with a Boston cab driver: Now … Continue reading →
The following passage is from the book Robert Frost: A Living Voice, edited by Reginald L. Cook. It’s from a talk Frost gave at Bread Loaf in July 27, 1960, when he was in his 80s. He starts by describing … Continue reading →
…I think it should be this one by Jay Parini. I’ve read quite a few, and Jay Parini’s is the only one that seems to capture the Frost I sense from Frost’s poetry and his other writings. Plus, Parini’s book … Continue reading →