Thursday, February 27, 2020

Poetry Friday: February 29 by Jane Hirshfield


Last week I was quite insensitive to poor February, complaining and griping and generally being indifferent to its potential charms. So, this week I'm making it up to the month that so many of us love to hate.

My peace offering is this lovely poem from Jane Hirshfield, "February 29." There is, after all, something magical about the gift of an extra day every four years. February 29th is the Brigadoon of days, and even I, with my callous disrespect for a month that can't help being what it is, can appreciate what is ephemeral about it.

~~~~~~~~~~

An excerpt from

February 29
by Jane Hirshfield

...

An extra day—

With a second cup of black coffee.
A friendly but businesslike phone call.
A mailed-back package.
Some extra work, but not too much—
just one day’s worth, exactly.

(Read the whole thing here, at Poets.org.)

If you'd like to know more about Poetry Friday, here's the scoop

~~~~~~~~~~

I'm hosting this week!
Mr. Linky awaits your poetic offerings.
And unlike Brigadoon, he won't disappear after 24 hours.

29 comments:

Michelle Kogan said...

Thanks for hosting Karen! Love the Jane Hirshfield poem, and her take on Leap Day–lots of nice metaphors in there, she adds some spice to the end of February.

jama said...

Cool poem (new to me). Have a great extra day tomorrow, and thanks for hosting!

Linda Mitchell said...

Thank you for hosting Poetry Friday. I do admire your ability to find the perfect poem. This one is ...well...perfect! I'm sharing a poem from 'This Photo Wants to be a Poem' Margaret Simon has offered on her blog on Thursday mornings.

Liz Garton Scanlon said...

Oh, that is DELIGHTFUL. I love Jane Hirshfield but didn't know that poem. Happy February, and thank you for hosting!

tanita✿davis said...

What a lovely thought - that this day bequeaths us with a smidgen of extra generosity. May we find enough to share. Thanks for hosting.

Matt Forrest Esenwine said...

As others have said, such a perfect poem, Karen - and not just because of the title! Very thoughtful and rich in the details of life. Thanks for sharing, and hosting!

KatApel - katswhiskers.wordpress.com said...

Oh no! But I love February! For the shortest month of the year, so many beautiful people have birthdays then! And that little whimsy of an occasional extra day... Ach. So much joy! Thanks for hosting in this wonderful gift of a month! Funnily enough, I didn't actually realise today wasn't the last day - until your post.🙃

Michelle Heidenrich Barnes said...

Thank you for hosting this week, Karen! You've found the perfect poem to end this month with grace.

Buffy Silverman said...

I'm not a fan of February either--but I love this poem! Thanks for hosting.

Renee LaTulippe said...

What a delightful poem -- and that sent me down a Jane Hirshfield rabbit hole this morning. Thank you for sharing and for hosting!

Ruth said...

Thank you for hosting! I'll be back later to read what everyone has to say!

Rose Cappelli said...

Thank you for sharing Jane Hirshfield's beautiful poem. Her repeating line "An extra day" kept inviting me in, and I so appreciated understanding the story behind it.

Author Amok said...

What a wonderful poem. I love the made calendar stumbling over the real. And her use of the word generosity -- don't we all wish for extra days? Thanks for hosting today.

Tabatha said...

Hi Karen! Thanks for hosting with Jane Hirschfield. While I was there, I also read "On the Fifth Day," which reminded me of the handling of coronavirus. It's nice to have her weigh in on contemporary events.

Sara said...

As you'll see from my post today, I've been scolding February since at least 2010, and this month's challenge to re-vise an older poem gave me another chance to wallop February again. SO....thank you for providing a moment of peace to counter-balance the ick. I can't believe I haven't encountered that Hirshfield poem before...it's gorgeous.

Margaret Simon said...

Thanks for hosting today. It's fun to think of Feb. 29th as an extra day. I plan to enjoy it playing with my 14 month old grandson. I'm a fan of Jane Hirschfield after seeing her at Dodge Poetry Festival 10 years ago.

Irene Latham said...

Thank you, Karen for hosting. I'm glad you're finding some love for February... like Kat, I've always loved it! xo

Carol Varsalona said...

The oddest thing happens when I post lately. I added a comment and it did not appear in your comment bank. Anyways, thanks for hosting, Karen. I enjoyed your look at Leap Year and of course, the extra day thought.

Kay said...

Thank you for hosting, Karen! I enjoyed the poem. May we treat every day as a gift, even when it's an extra day in February!

Tim Kulp said...

Thank you for hosting Karen! I like the poem you shared. It's new to me.

Linda B said...

Thanks for hosting, Karen, and for giving us that special poem for our "extra day"!

Little Willow said...

Happy Friday! Enjoy the extra day!

Karen Eastlund said...

Lovely poem by Hirschfield, thanks for sharing it. I struggle to understand this extra day one year in four. Where are those partial days hiding on the off years??? I suppose that calls for a poem... Anyway, thanks for hosting! Have a good one!

Tara said...

Thanks for sharing this new to me poem, Karen...and giving me a new appreciation for February.

mbhmaine said...

Well, you certainly shared the perfect poem today. It does seem fitting to celebrate the extra day this month and Jane Hirschfield does it so beautifully. I was also delighted by your designation of Feb. 29th as "the Brigadoon of days." I've always loved that movie! Thanks so much for hosting this week.

Tricia said...

Love this poem! Thanks so much for sharing it and for hosting today.

susanbruck.com said...

Thanks for sharing this poem--and I love your phrase "Brigadoon of days"--leap day is a magical day! I didn't use to like February that much, but after both my daughters were born in February, it's become my favorite month--although I still get antsy for winter to end!
Thanks for hosting.

Christie Wyman said...

Thanks for hosting and trying to make amends with February! LOL!

laurasalas said...

It's those little things! Thank you for sharing this poem today (which I'm finally reading ON LEAP DAY!) and for hosting:>)