This month's challenge to and for the Poetry Peeps was to write "____ is A Word Poems" (a wordplay exercise created by poet Nikki Grimes and shared here by Michelle Barnes.)
I didn't have time to rise to the challenge, but I'm sharing a poem about meeting new poets, which is one of the things I love about Poetry Friday.
Denise Krebs at Dare to Care is hosting the Poetry Friday round-up this week, and she's daring to care about the state of our country and some rapidly vanishing liberties. Thank you, Denise.
A New Poet
by Linda Pastan
Finding a new poet
is like finding a new wildflower
out in the woods. You don't see
its name in the flower books, and
nobody you tell believes
in its odd color or the way
....
(Read the rest here, at Library of Congress/Poetry 180.)
~~~~~
Photo thanks to Hazi54, Pixabay
I love "A New Poet," Karen, and I was about to save it when I wondered if I had ever posted it. Yes, in 2011! Time for a reread for sure, haha!
ReplyDeleteTabatha, I wish I had perfect recall about all the poems I have posted over the years, as well as all the rich treasures my friends have posted! :) Last night I almost shared a poem that I'd shared just a year ago. :) Ah, well, we can never get enough of a good thing, right?
DeleteKaren, I love this about Poetry Friday too! Such happy discoveries. Thank you! xo
ReplyDeleteIt's a gold mine every week, Irene! :)
Delete"And the words are so familiar,/so strangely new, words/you almost wrote yourself"
ReplyDeleteI loved the last two stanzas, but this part in particular. Thank you for sharing!
I love that part too, Tricia!
DeleteOh, I love Linda Pastan. I read one poem of hers years ago and started collecting her older books. This is a new one to me! 🪷tanita
ReplyDeleteTanita, I just stumbled on this one too. I was surprised I'd never encountered it before!
DeleteThank you for sharing, Karen. I loved the smells evoked with the line: red wine and the mustiness of the sea
ReplyDeleteon a foggy day. : )
Tracey, it's a gem, isn't it?
DeleteThis one is a keeper, Karen! Finding new poets and feeling like they're talking directly to me is the best.
ReplyDeleteRight? She nails it.
DeleteYou always introduce me to new poets! Thanks for this one!
ReplyDeleteKaren, thank you for this new poet. Isn't this true about finding poets/poems that speak to us: They often contain "words / you almost wrote yourself" Thank you for introducing us to Linda Pastan.
ReplyDeleteIt's bittersweet for me, knowing there are so many amazing poets to discover, and I can't even keep up with reading all the work by poets I already love! Such a quandary.
ReplyDeleteLast night, our local Arts Coalition opened a reading in a new venue. And the new venue drew in some new poets! What a gift it was to hear them, and how encouraging it was to the others in the room! This poem is one I will quote next month! Thank you.
ReplyDeleteYour poem describes what I feel. I love discovering a new poet!
ReplyDeleteOh, this is one I will print out, Karen, "if only/in your dreams"! It's wonderful!
ReplyDeleteWhat a great poem!! Nothing I like better than discovering new poets. :) Thanks for introducing me to so many.
ReplyDeleteSuch a beautiful Linda Pastan poem! Thanks so much for sharing it.
ReplyDeleteReading Linda Pastan is always a treat! (So many poets I do not know and would like to discover, but she has been a favorite of mine.)
ReplyDeleteSo happy to have shared this one with you all. Pastan is speaking our language, yes? :)
ReplyDelete