Poetry Friday

I’m hosting Poetry Friday today! Please post your URLs in the comments, and I will update throughout the day. (Edit: For those of you who had trouble posting today, I profusely apologize. I forgot to turn off my “author needs to give approval to new commenters” box!! I’ve corrected problem now. So sorry!)

One of my favorite poets who writes about historical figures is Linda Bierds. I’ve had the pleasure of meeting her, and hearing her read, and sitting in on her lecture, twice! She talked about this poem in a lecture on integrating the narrative in the lyrical poem. I like this poem because its subject is Gregor Mendel, who I like because he was a monk AND a scientist! The italics are by the poet.

Matins: Gregor Mendel and the Bees

by Linda Bierds

Slowed by smoke, they slump

from the hive,

benign from the hive they slump,

Father of thorax and wing,

Father of light, they light

on my arm, make light

of my arm, tapering, golden,

Father of darkness receding, 

they make from my arm

a candle, a flame, they candle

my arm with backcast

light, affixing the self

to the shell.

Myra at Gathering Books has a Shel Silverstein poem.

Laura from laurasalas has a Steven Withrow poem about spelling and an original 15 Words or Less poem.

Linda from Teacher Dance has three William Stafford poems that relate to teaching.

Charles from Bald Ego has an original poem titled “A Poet Isn’t Somebody.”

Amy from The Poem Farm is talking about language today – including an original poem.

Diane at  has an original poem about a bookcase at Random Noodling and an original poem about Hebrew School at Kids of the Homefront Army.

Kurious Kitty (also Diane) has a poem by Langston Hughes and a quote at her Kurious K Kwotes page.

The Write Sisters have a poem about manners.

Greg at GottaBook has an original poem about books.

Ruth has some poems about flowers.

Tabatha at the Opposite of Indifference has some great ideas for a March Madness Poetry Tournament!

Liz at Growing Wild has an original poem titled “My Bed.”

Laura from Author Amok has a thoughtful elegy.

Mary Lee at A Year of Reading reviews Laura Purdie Salas’ new book of poetry. (Laura has a contribution above.)

Katya ponders Robert Frost and Jeeps.

Robyn has some great dragon poems.

Alice from Supratentorial has a W.S. Merwin poem.

Jama from Jama’s Alphabet Soup has a poem by Thich Nhat Hanh.

Heidi at my juicy little universe shares a poem about the lands we create a share.

Maria from A Poem a Day shares an Elizabeth Barrett Browning poem.

Polly from The Little Wooden Horse has a fun A.A. Milne poem

Charles at Rainforest Soul has an original poem titled “I Was A Sailor.”

Karen is talking about Groundhog’s Day.

Ed from Think Kid Think has a poem by Charles Bukowski.

Caryl from Leaning Tower of Books shares a poem from and reviews the book Thirteen Reasons Why.

Delzey from Fomagrams shares a Neil Diamond cento.

Elaine from Wild Rose Reader shares an original poem titled “Fossil Forest.”

Mandy from Write on the World shares an original poem titled, “Insomnia.”

Lorie shares an original haiku at On Point and shares Mini Masters at readertotz.

Tara from A Teaching Life shares poetry by Mark Doty plus some other cool stuff.

Renee from No Water River shares and original poem titled “Tiny Tina Tinseltooth.”

Jone from Check It Out features haikus written by fourth graders.

Liz from Liz in Ink shares a poem from Tony Hoagland.

Julie from The Drift Record is getting ready for February.

Donna from Mainely Write brings us an original Minute Poem.

Doraine from Dori Reads celebrates Black History Month.

50 comments

  2. Pingback: Poetry Friday: Best of a Bad Spell (Steven Withrow) | laurasalas
  3. laurasalas says:

    Oh, this is beautiful. I love the chant-like quality, the prayer-ness of it. Yet no abstraction. All those great nouns and verbs!

    I’m in with Best of a Bad Spell, a terrific poem from Steven Withrow’s e-collection, at: http://laurasalas.wordpress.com/2012/02/02/poetry-friday-best-of-a-bad-spell-steven-withrow/

    And I have 15 Words or Less poems (everybody welcome to come play) at http://laurasalas.wordpress.com/2012/02/02/15-words-or-less-lights-shadow/

    Thanks for hosting!

  7. dmayr says:

    Thanks for the introduction to Linda Bierds!

    At Random Noodling I have an original poem, “The Great Bookcase Disaster.”
    http://randomnoodling.blogspot.com/2012/02/poetry-friday-great-bookcase-disaster.html

    Kids of the Homefront Army continues with a poem called “Whispers At Hebrew School.”
    http://homefrontarmy.blogspot.com/2012/02/whispers-at-hebrew-school.html

    Kurious Kitty celebrates the 110th birthday of Langston Hughes.
    http://kuriouskitty.blogspot.com/2012/02/poetry-friday-happy-birthday-langston.html

    And at KK’s Kwotes there is a quote from Langston Hughes.
    http://www.kkskwotes.blogspot.com/2012/02/poetry-friday.html

    At The Write Sisters we have an Elizabeth Bishop poem, “Manners.”
    http://www.thewritesisters.blogspot.com/2012/02/poetry-friday-manners.html

  8. Pingback: The Poem Farm: Poetry Friday & Language(s) | Languages Speak
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  29. Pingback: #poetry friday: i am i (neil diamond cento) « fomagrams
  32. Pingback: Poetry Friday: Insomnia « Write on the World
  40. kksorrell says:

    Hello all! I just put this into the body of the post, but in case you’re following the comments: For those of you who had trouble posting today, I profusely apologize. I forgot to turn off my “author needs to give approval to new commenters” box!! I’ve corrected problem now. So sorry! Thanks for your patience!

  42. Donna Smith says:

    Sorry to be late posting. I have been getting ready for the Blogging A to Z Challenge, so don’t have a new poem for today. My link goes to my original poem I wrote last April about time. It’s a Minute Poem with the form description included. Thanks for hosting!
    Mainely Write

  43. Julie Larios says:

    P.S. I meant to say how much I love the poem by Linda Bierds which you posted, Karissa. Her poetry is so beautifully crafted and intelligent. I studied with her at the University of Washington, and she is wonderful teacher, too.

    • kksorrell says:

      Oh, I would so love to chat with you about that. I did my MFA (low-residency program) at Murray State University in KY, and she came twice as a visiting poet.

    • kksorrell says:

      Diane, I apologize. I have fixed the link. Wow, I’ve made lots of mistakes today! However, it’s been great to see all of these great poems. Hopefully tomorrow I’ll have time to go back and comment on some! Thanks for all your contributions.

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