Thursday, January 15, 2009

Poetry Friday: I'm Hosting!

I usually post Richard Wilbur's The Writer about every four months.

I see that I have allowed a scandalous eight months to pass without sharing this most beloved gem.


I'm appalled. I know what I must do.


The Writer
by Richard Wilbur

In her room at the prow of the house
Where light breaks, and the windows are tossed with linden,
My daughter is writing a story.

I pause in the stairwell, hearing
From her shut door a commotion of typewriter-keys
Like a chain hauled over a gunwale.

Young as she is, the stuff
Of her life is a great cargo, and some of it heavy:
I wish her a lucky passage.

But now it is she who pauses,
As if to reject my thought and its easy figure.
A stillness greatens, in which

The whole house seems to be thinking,
And then she is at it again with a bunched clamor
Of strokes, and again is silent.

I remember the dazed starling
Which was trapped in that very room, two years ago;
How we stole in, lifted a sash

And retreated, not to affright it;
And how for a helpless hour, through the crack of the door,
We watched the sleek, wild, dark

And iridescent creature
Batter against the brilliance, drop like a glove
To the hard floor, or the desk-top

....
Read the rest of the poem here ... listen to it here. And, for an interview with Richard Wilbur, go here, to the Poetry Foundation.
....

Mr. Linky awaits your contributions to today's Poetry Friday round-up. Please leave a link to your post as well as a comment. I'll be rounding up the links and providing color commentary as often as I can during the day. Thanks!
....

11:15 AM:
Updated to note:
Some plumbing problems and real life are getting in the way of blogging. :) Please enjoy all the Poetry Friday links via Mr. Linky, and check the comment box, too, in case the LinkMeister is being petulant with anyone. I've tried to go ahead and add anyone who wasn't already showing up in Mr. Linky. Sorry not to be able to provide a more in-depth round-up this week!


42 comments:

Anonymous said...

What a fabulous poem!

Anonymous said...

Awesome, Karen!
Thank you for opening Poetry Friday for submissions the night before. One less responsibility for my bleary morning eyes.

And thanks for hosting. Happy Friday!

John Mutford said...

Hi and thanks for hosting. I'll echo Andrea's comment about opening for submissions the night before. Thanks!

My post, after a brief discussion of basal readers versus anthologies, shares a great winter poem by Canadian poet, Raymond Souster called "The Wild Wolves of Winter."

Read it here: http://bookmineset.blogspot.com/2009/01/hockey-cards-and-hopscotch.html

Anonymous said...

Thanks for hosting Karen!

Sara said...

Hi, Karen! Love that poem every time you share it. I can't hear it enough. I'm in today with a poem I found for my daughter, who is happily in Paris and "surrounded by scientists" for the International Year of Astronomy. http://saralewisholmes.blogspot.com/2009/01/poetry-friday-somewhere-to-paris.html

Anonymous said...

One of my favorite poems, Karen. Thanks for posting "The Writer."

Today I'm taking a little trip to "Hanapepe" on the island of Kaua'i. Thanks for hosting! Your coffee is the best :).

Jama Rattigan

Andromeda Jazmon said...

"Batter against the brilliance,"

My God, what powers we possess! Thank you for this poem today. Never too much of that!

I am on a Rumi kick, which is inspiring me in my health struggles. Thanks for hosting!

Anonymous said...

Hi Karen,

Thanks for hosting, and for sharing that great poem.

I'm posting Wendell Berry's "Come Forth" today. Mr. Linky's not working at the moment, so I'll leave the link here:

http://www.acrossthepage.net/?p=1164

Mary Lee said...

Repetition is good. It's how we learn things by heart.

I had an amazing convergence of photography and Poetry Foundation search, that led to me thinking about parts and wholes.

http://readingyear.blogspot.com/2009/01/poetry-friday-part-for-whole.html

Anonymous said...

Thanks for hosting, Karen. I love the Wilbur poem!
I have a familiar-not-familiar poem by Paul Laurence Dunbar at Ink for Lit.

http://jenniferknoblock.wordpress.com/2009/01/16/learning-something-every-day/

Anonymous said...

I love that Wilbur poem - I know you've posted it before, but I am always, always happy to see it. It's like meeting an old friend!

Thanks for hosting!

Anonymous said...

I love this poem.

Tricia said...

Hi Karen,
Thank you, thank you for hosting.
I'm in today with a poem by Whitman.
http://missrumphiuseffect.blogspot.com/2009/01/poetry-friday-miracles.html

Anonymous said...

Thank you for hosting. What a great poet. I have an inauguration theme going.

Terry Doherty said...

What a beautiful poem. Isn't it sad that we've lost the lyrical sound of typewriter keys/

christine M said...

Thanks for hosting. I'm in with a poem by my daughter - which makes your poem about the writing daughter so very appropriate!

Anonymous said...

Karen,

Thanks for doing the roundup this week. At Wild Rose Reader, I've posted an original fairy tale poem entitled "A Charming Prince Has Second Thoughts."

At Blue Rose Girls, I have Wendell Berry's "The Peace of Wild Things."

P.S. I hope it's warmer where you live than it is here in Massachusetts today!

Anonymous said...

That's a beautiful poem.

Thanks for hosting. I'm in today with Elizabeth Alexander at http://blaine.org/sevenimpossiblethings/?p=1557.

Jules
7-Imp

laurasalas said...

Thanks for hosting, Karen! I'm in with a roundup of terrific very short poems based on a cool waterfall image. http://laurasalas.livejournal.com/124672.html

I love the poem you posted--8 months--shame on you! ;>)

Kelly Polark said...

What a wonderful poem!! Thank you for hosting. I am in with an original haiku at http://www.kpolark.blogspot.com

Vivian Mahoney said...

Thanks for hosting!

I'm in with Christopher Marlowe's Hero and Leander.

Have a great weekend!

Sylvia Vardell said...

Beautiful Wilbur poem-- thanks for sharing AND hosting. I've posted a new poem by J. Pat Lewis in honor of the new puppy for the White House!
Sylvia
http://poetryforchildren.blogspot.com/

Tiel Aisha Ansari said...

I have an original poem, but I can't get Mr. Linky to accept it-- could possibly add the link for me? http://knockingfrominside.blogspot.com/2009/01/cellular-automaton.html

Thanks!

Unknown said...

I love having a poem repeat -- that is a great idea that I never considered. The world seems very devoted to always providing new content, but revisiting old favorites is refreshing in its own way.

Yat-Yee said...

Thanks for hosting. My contribution is a poem by Edgar Albert Guest.

Unknown said...

Thanks for hosting. I'm in with an original poem (an ode to our dog) and some book recommendations for the loss of a pet.

http://kiddosandbooks.blogspot.com/2009/01/books-one-less-bark-in-neighborhood.html

Anonymous said...

Thanks for hosting!

Anonymous said...

Thank you for hosting (and I love The Writer!!!)

I'm in with thoughts on freedom and hope and a you tube reading by Maya Angelou:

http://liz-scanlon.livejournal.com/96754.html

Myth said...

What a beautiful poem!

http://brandnewending.blogspot.com/2009/01/b-is-for-beautiful.html

tanita✿davis said...

I love that poem so much.

Christina said...

Thanks for hosting, Karen. I'm in (late today!) with a poem by British writer Siegfried Sassoon, called Everyone Sang.

Lorie Ann Grover said...

Thank you for hosting, Karen! I'm late in the line with an original haiku, Sea Breeze, and at readertotz we have A Cat Came Fiddling.

Author Amok said...

I have a poem about friendship to help celebrate my daughter's birthday. It's Longfellow's "The Arrow and the Song."

http://authoramok.blogspot.com/2009/01/happy-poetry-friday-birthday-daughter-j.html

Thanks for hosting!

Unknown said...

Thanks for hosting.
I posted two wonderful poems about perspective. One by Kristine O'Connell George and another by Alice Schertle.
Enjoy!

Douglas Florian said...

Thanks for hosting, Karen. I've got a poem from my upcoming Dinothesaurus, along with a new starred review.
http://floriancafe.blogspot.com/

david elzey said...

Thanks for hosting, and for sharing. I'm dropping by late with some random jottings done while at school this week.

http://fomagrams.wordpress.com/wp-admin/post-new.php

Anonymous said...

Lovely poem and great idea! I've added a silly one my children are working on memorizing right now.

http://ourfourlittlemonkeys.blogspot.com/2009/01/poetry-friday.html

Anonymous said...

Once again, I'm reminded that I am most definitely not a writer! But I'm a reader who certainly enjoys those who are. I'm in this week with Phyllis McGinley on good manners. In fact, I think I might be in for the rest of the year with Miss McGinley!

Thank you for hosting, Karen, and have a wonderful weekend with the family!

http://farmschool.wordpress.com/2009/01/16/poetry-friday-10/

Becky at Farm School

Carol said...

Better late than never! I just posted VARIATION ON AN OLD RHYME, a poem that leads the reader one direction, then ends in an entirely different spot.

Anamaria (bookstogether) said...

I posted a link to Poe's The Raven, in honor of his 200th. Thanks for hosting!

Angela said...

Hi Karen,
I have a fragment of one of Sappho's poems on my blog for Poetry Friday.
Thank you for hosting!

Anonymous said...

Thanks Karen for hosting. My poem is at http://zzwriter.com/?page_id=1388

David