Garden, late fall
Those of you who follow this blog know that when I bought my house I bought the responsibility of gardening, and I’ve tried to step up to the plate and do right by it. I’ve posted photos of the garden … Continue reading →
Category Archives: Poetry
Glad to have gone, glad to be back
I’m back, after having gotten an eyeful and an earful of Paris. It was the best of times, it was the worst of times That’s just hyperbole, for the sake of a literary reference; but the truth is that it … Continue reading →
Fall ritual: closing the windows
Today is the first day of fall. I never quite get that date right, because it drifts around in confusing fashion (here’s a guidepost for those of you who care about such things). This year it also happens to be … Continue reading →
Going gentle into that good night
The memorial service for the father of a good friend of mine was held at the retirement community where he and his wife had lived for the last couple of years. The place is one of those spectacularly lovely and … Continue reading →
Old singers never die, they just Sail to Byzantium
Commenter “snowonpine” made an interesting observation in the American Idol thread, in response to my praise of the getting-on-in-years Dionne Warwick’s performance: Ms. Warwick seemed, to me, to exemplify the inability of a star–be it a TV star, prize fighter … Continue reading →
And then there was one…
The sole survivor of the night of the marauding squirrels/deers/gophers has bloomed: That’s it for my tulips this year. It stands, forlorn and alone, a profile in courage. It’s a beautiful day today, though, one of several unseasonably warm ones … Continue reading →
The sea of faith: the ebb and flow of religion
Starting in the mid-1800s, the Welsh Presbyterian Church was active in proselytizing, sending missionaries around the world. One of the places those missionaries went was Mizoram, an area of northeast India. They were wildly successful there with a tribe called … Continue reading →
Those poets have a way with words
After writing today’s post about toothbrushes and bacteria, I somehow thought of the poem “Crazy Jane Talks With the Bishop,” by William Butler Yeats, which says the same thing. Or, sort of the same thing. Or a related thing. So, … Continue reading →
Acquainted with the White
The inspiration for this poem of mine: the snow, Robert Frost’s timeless “Acquainted with the Night,”and Gerard van Der Leun’s timely “Acquainted with the Blight.” Just to make sure I receive full appreciation for the arduous work involved in writing … Continue reading →
Robert Frost quotations
Well, Churchill or Orwell he’s not. But Robert Frost isn’t too bad with the quotations, either–even some political ones (see here and here.) I never dared to be radical when young for fear it would make me conservative when old. … Continue reading →
The other Robert Frost: “The Road Not Taken”
What’s happening in this photo? Actually, it’s a photo of me, walking in the woods on a chilly day in early spring—that’s why I’m wearing a fairly bulky jacket. The place? The grounds of the Robert Frost Farm in Derry, … Continue reading →
Veterans Day, Armistice Day
Yes, indeed, I am that old–old enough to remember when Veterans’ Day was Armistice Day. The change occurred in 1954, when I was very small, in order to accommodate World War II. Since then the original name has largely fallen … Continue reading →