M Christine Delea's Blog, page 11

Rape by Adrienne Rich

Rape

by Adrienne Rich

There is a cop who is both prowler and father:

he comes from your block, grew up with your brothers,

had certain ideals.

You hardly knew him in his boots and silver badge,

on horseback, one hand touching his gun.

You hardly know him but you have to get to know him:

he has access to machinery that could kill you.

He and his stallion clop like warlords among the trash,

his ideals stand in the air, a frozen cloud

from between his unsmiling lips.

And so, when the time comes...

Two loves I have of comfort and despair by William Shakespeare

Sonnet 144

by William Shakespeare

Two loves I have of comfort and despair,

Which like two spirits do suggest me still:

The better angel is a man right fair,

The worser spirit a woman colour’d ill.

To win me soon to hell, my female evil

Tempteth my better angel from my side,

And would corrupt my saint to bea devil,

Wooing his purity with her foul pride.

And whether that my angel be turn’d fiend

Suspect I may, yet not directly tell;

But being both from me, both to each friend,

I guess one angel ...

So Many Emotions!: Prompt

Although I am creating this post with photos of 3 pieces of art, this is not an ekphrastic exercise. Rather, I want you to consider how each piece uses metaphor to visually depict

strong emotions.

This first painting is entitled Grief. It is by Antanas Žmuidzinavičus.

The second piece is Joie de Vivre. It is by Mark de Suervo.

The last piece is Fear in the Woods. It is by Hugo Simberg.

Imagine grief, joy, or fear--as well as any other emotion--and think about depicting it without stati...

America by Claude McKay

America

by Claude McKay

Although she feeds me bread of bitterness,

And sinks into my throat her tiger’s tooth,

Stealing my breath of life, I will confess

I love this cultured hell that tests my youth!

Her vigor flows like tides into my blood,

Giving me strength erect against her hate.

Her bigness sweeps my being like a flood.

Yet as a rebel fronts a king in state,

I stand within her walls with not a shred

Of terror, malice, not a word of jeer.

Darkly I gaze into the days ahead,

And see her mig...

The Halloween Party by Aidan Mathews

The Halloween Party

by Aidan Mathews

(published in The Irish Times, October 29, 2022)

I hoist a knitted skeleton on a drip-stand in the porch.

The children are coming, a hundred and twenty last year.

Remember the white-face zombie in her communion dress

And the imp with the actual scythe and his separated father

Standing shyly out at the gate as if it were Saturday.

Later, the lights gone out in the scared terraces,

There will be no safe house for the lads in the black bin-liners.

I pla...

Letting Go: Prompt

We all need to let go of something or someone. (Hey, "The Raven" speaker! Let go of Lenore!). It is easy to talk about, even plan, but not always easy to do.

Today's prompt asks you to create a piece that speaks to letting go.

A few additional nudges:

something you have tried and failed to let go of

someone you let go and you now regret that decision

a job where you were let go

a part of your personality you wish you could let go of

the freedom of letting something go

the idea of letting go ...

The Raven by Edgar Allan Poe

The Raven

by Edgar Allan Poe

Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary,

Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore—

    While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping,

As of some one gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door.

“’Tis some visitor,” I muttered, “tapping at my chamber door—

            Only this and nothing more.”

    Ah, distinctly I remember it was in the bleak December;

And each separate dying ember wrought its ghost upon the fl...

Early October Snow by Robert Haight

Early October Snow

by Robert Haight

(published in his 2013 book, Feeding Wild Birds, from Mayapple Press)

It will not stay.

But this morning we wake to pale muslin

stretched across the grass.

The pumpkins, still in the fields, are planets

shrouded by clouds.

The Weber wears a dunce cap

and sits in the corner by the garage

where asters wrap scarves

around their necks to warm their blooms.

The leaves, still soldered to their branches

by a frozen drop of dew, splash

apple and pear paint along t...

Dish of Mashed Peas by Susan Terris

Dish of Mashed Peas

by Susan Terris

(published in her 2019 book, Familiar Tense, and can also be found here on her website)

Some people are not destined for happiness,           

and I may be one of them.

You see, in certain parts of the world where           

I have been and now live,

at least in my dreams, happiness is only             

 granted to a woman 

who leaves a dish of mashed peas out in             

 the moonlight overnight.

But superstition does not name what moon
  ...

Green with Envy: Prompt

First, you should really read today's poem on my blog. If you are not a "nana" person, you may be jealous of how those folks get through the world. I am!

So today's prompt is to explore a type of person (rather than an individual) you are envious of.

Are you also glad to not be one of them? What about yourself makes you envious? Do you think they are envious of people like you? When did you start feeling this way? If you could become one of these people, what would you do first?

Try and avoid ...