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.
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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.
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I'm hosting this week!
Mr. Linky awaits your poetic offerings.
And unlike Brigadoon, he won't disappear after 24 hours.
Mr. Linky awaits your poetic offerings.
And unlike Brigadoon, he won't disappear after 24 hours.
29 comments:
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.
Cool poem (new to me). Have a great extra day tomorrow, and thanks for hosting!
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.
Oh, that is DELIGHTFUL. I love Jane Hirshfield but didn't know that poem. Happy February, and thank you for hosting!
What a lovely thought - that this day bequeaths us with a smidgen of extra generosity. May we find enough to share. Thanks for hosting.
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!
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.🙃
Thank you for hosting this week, Karen! You've found the perfect poem to end this month with grace.
I'm not a fan of February either--but I love this poem! Thanks for hosting.
What a delightful poem -- and that sent me down a Jane Hirshfield rabbit hole this morning. Thank you for sharing and for hosting!
Thank you for hosting! I'll be back later to read what everyone has to say!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Thank you, Karen for hosting. I'm glad you're finding some love for February... like Kat, I've always loved it! xo
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.
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!
Thank you for hosting Karen! I like the poem you shared. It's new to me.
Thanks for hosting, Karen, and for giving us that special poem for our "extra day"!
Happy Friday! Enjoy the extra day!
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!
Thanks for sharing this new to me poem, Karen...and giving me a new appreciation for February.
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.
Love this poem! Thanks so much for sharing it and for hosting today.
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.
Thanks for hosting and trying to make amends with February! LOL!
It's those little things! Thank you for sharing this poem today (which I'm finally reading ON LEAP DAY!) and for hosting:>)
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