A YEAR IN POEMS 3/19/2021

 

“Time it was, and what a time it was. It was.
A time of innocence.
A time of confidences.

Long ago it must be. I have a photograph.
Preserve your memories.
They’re all that’s left you.”

Paul Simon, “Bookends” (text grouping by KPM)

There are only a handful of song lyrics that read as poetry, but I’ve always had an affinity for this one. Some of the affinity is personal – this was one of my father’s favorite songs, a song I once was summoned to the office to sing for him. From a poetic sense, the theme is familiar and the homily obvious. But the conversational simplicity of the writing and the unexpected balancing of ‘innocence” and ‘confidences’ are full of aching nostalgia.

A YEAR IN POSTS 3/18/2021

 

“A thousand hairy savages
Sitting down to lunch
Gobble gobble glup glup
Munch munch munch.”

Spike Milligan. “A Thousand Hairy Savages”

What’s poetry without a little onomatopoeia?

A YEAR IN POEMS 3/17/2021

 

“The trees are in their autumn beauty,
The woodland paths are dry,
Under the October twilight the water
Mirrors a still sky;
Upon the brimming water among the stones
Are nine-and-fifty swans.”

William Butler Yeats, “The Wild Swans at Coole”

In honor of St. Patrick’s Day, the most versatile and lyrical of Irish poets. On the surface, this descriptive piece may be about the beautiful birds whom he is observing, but like the swans themselves, there is an undercurrent. His observation is more about affirmation – the swans are still there and therefore there are still anchors in his life. But his relief and his appreciation of beauty is tempered by the inevitable and heart-rending understanding that there will come a day “when I awake…/ To find they have flown away”.

A YEAR IN POEMS 3/16/2001

 

“Western wind, when wilt thou blow?
The small rain down can rain.
Christ, that my love were in my arms,
And I in my bed again.”

Anonymous, “Western Wind”

One of the oldest poems extant in the English language and surely the first that is neither balladic nor courtly. A gentle half-lament, it is wistful but somehow resolute and hopeful. Although I’ve never seen attribution, I think that Bernstein referenced “Western Wind” in the opening song of his great musical “On The Town”.

A YEAR IN POEMS 3/15/2021

 

“The wind was a torrent of darkness among the gusty trees. 
The moon was a ghostly galleon tossed upon cloudy seas. 

The road was a ribbon of moonlight over the purple moor,   
And the highwayman came riding—

Riding—riding—

    The highwayman came riding, up to the old inn-door.”

 

Alfred Noyes, “The Highwayman”

Ballads are in essence adventure stories told in song meter and ballad poets are the extension of Homer’s bards. "The Highwayman" is one of the most rip-snorting and famous of the bunch. It’s a thrilling ride, capturing the edge of adventure in every metered nuance.

 

A YEAR IN POEMS 3/14/2021

 

“Pies have a reputation.
And it’s immediate – no talk of potential

Regarding a pie. It’s good
Or it isn’t. but mostly it is – sweet, very sweet”

Alberto Rios, “Perfect For Any Occasion”

There are very few serious poems about pies (it being Pi Day) but this one hits the mark. The poem is a bit heavy handed in its allegorical message, reaching out in its second part to types of pie (“Mincemeat? What the hell is that people ask” or “Mr./ ‘I-can-do-no-wrong’ pecan pie”), but mainly it is about personality and a sense of self-worth/ self-deception. It features gentle comedy with a bite (just as all the best pies do).

A YEAR IN POEMS 3/13/2001

             “Yesterday, upon the stair,
            I met a man who wasn’t there.
            He wasn’t there again today.
            I wish, I wish he’d go away.”

Hughes Mearns, “Antigonish”

Charming, lilting nonsense, with just a enough edge to sit in your mind and create disturbing visions. Like nonsense poetry is supposed to do. I was never aware of the title until now, which clearly points to the blurred line between tragedy and farce.