Read Me a Poem Sing Me a Song Showing 351-400 of 1,581

[Anne]

Thank you all. So much loveliness and foods for thought. It is always a pleasure to come here.

[Johanna]

Josh wrote: "Calathea wrote: "As I'm not much of a poetry-person this topic holds something new for me everytime I take a look at it. Thank you all for posting the poems here. I like learning somethin new."

That's lovely. One of the best parts of this thread is that you all so naturally, instinctively choose such beautifully accessible and universal works."

I love this thread. Truly.

[mc]

Caroline, that's so beautiful. And yes, I concur, you've all created such a beautiful space here. I very much appreciate it.

[Johanna]

Thank you for the latest poems mc and Caroline! Here is my small contribution to this thread today. Two short poems by Finnish poet Eeva Kilpi (1928-).


EVEN NATURE GIVES YOU NO CHOICE

When you have seen a cloud
in the lap of a pond;
and the moon
between the waterlilies;
inevitably you are at the mercy
of your own soul.


HE STEPPED INSIDE MY DOOR

Let me know right away
if I'm disturbing you.
he said
as he stepped inside my door,
and I'll leave the way I came.

Not only do you disturb me,
I answered,
You turn my whole world
upside down.
Welcome.

[mc]

Gorg. Just gorgeous.

Here's another poet for me to check out. Thanks, dearest Johanna.

[Josh]

Antonella wrote: "Thanks to all the people keeping posting here such beautiful, moving, enriching stuff!"

I wholeheartedly second this.

[Calathea]

Johanna wrote: "HE STEPPED INSIDE MY DOOR "

This makes my heart beat faster.

[Josh]

Calathea wrote: "Johanna wrote: "HE STEPPED INSIDE MY DOOR "

This makes my heart beat faster. "

Yes, it's lovely. :-)

[mc]

The great Amiri Baraka died today - he was one of the most memorable voices of the 60s, a time of tumult, of revolution, of deep, sometimes dark, emotion.

Here is some of his background and poetry (Incident is particularly well-known), if you're interested. He was one of the poets we studied in my recent class.

http://www.poetryfoundation.org/bio/a...

[Johanna]

I hope this doesn't sound too melancholic for the occasion — I like it quite a bit. And it's always (and again and again) nice to turn 30. ;-)

A BIRTHDAY CANDLE by Donald Justice

Thirty today, I saw
The trees flare briefly like
The candles on a cake,
As the sun went down the sky,
A momentary flash,
Yet there was time to wish

[Anne]

Johanna wrote: "I hope this doesn't sound too melancholic for the occasion — I like it quite a bit. And it's always (and again and again) nice to turn 30. ;-)

A BIRTHDAY CANDLE by Donald Justice

Thirty today, I ..."

Lovely, and just right.

[mc]

Excellent.

[Caroline]

Great to see some poems from Eeva Kilpi Johanna. I think you're recommended her in the past?

It’s been a good week for poetry in the UK with the awarding of the TS Eliot prize on Monday evening. There were ten collections being considered for the prize (I’ll leave you to find out from google which won). I spent last Saturday with a group looking at poems from each of the collections and wanted to share with you the poem which haas stuck in my head. This is Stars and Jasmine by Maurice Riordan (he didn’t win) from his fourth collection The Water Stealer. I thought you’d all also love a poem with a cat, hedgehog and Tortoise in it. Many of the poems Water Stealer are based on things which happen in his back garden which is much like your's or mine but transformed by a poet’s eye and sensibilities.

Stars and Jasmine

Each of them has been a god many times:
cat, hedgehog and – our summer interloper – the tortoise.
A perfect triangle, they can neither eat
nor marry one another.
And tonight they are gods
under the jasmine under the stars.

Already the hedgehog has scoffed the cat’s supper
and she’s walked nonplussed beside him
escaping headlong into the bushes.
Wisely now, she keeps an eye on him there,
and on the tortoise
noisily criss-crossing the gravel.

For the cat, jasmine is white
but the stars have colours.
For the hedgehog, there are no stars
only a sky of jasmine,
against which he sniffs something dark,
outlined like a bird of prey.

Wisely, the tortoise ignores both jasmine and stars.
Isn’t it enough, she says, to carry the sky on your back,
a sky that is solid, mathematical and delicately coloured –
on which someone, too, has painted
our neighbours’ address: 9a Surrey Rd.
Come September, we will post her through their letterbox.

[Caroline]

Johanna wrote: "Thank you for the latest poems mc and Caroline! Here is my small contribution to this thread today. Two short poems by Finnish poet Eeva Kilpi (1928-).


HE STEPPED INSIDE MY DOOR

Let me know right away
if I'm disturbing you.
he said
as he stepped inside my door,
and I'll leave the way I came.

Not only do you disturb me,
I answered,
You turn my whole world
upside down.
Welcome.

Sano heti jos minä häiritsen,
hän sanoi astuessaan ovesta sisään,
niin minä lähden saman tien pois.

Sinä et ainoastaan häiritse,
minä vastasin,
sinä järkytät koko minun olemustani.
Tervetuloa.

- Eeva Kilpi -

And here's the second poem in Finnish. Lovely even if like me you don't understand the original.

[Johanna]

I love it, Caroline! I love the Stars and Jasmine! And it left me smiling. It's like we're there in his garden with these delightful and enigmatic animals. I'm going to read it again now... :-) Thank you for posting it, dear.

Caroline wrote: "Great to see some poems from Eeva Kilpi Johanna. I think you're recommended her in the past?"

Yes, I actually have posted this one from Eeva Kilpi before:


Going to sleep, I think:

Tomorrow I will heat up the sauna,
Pamper myself,
Walk, swim, wash,
Invite myself to evening tea,
Speak to myself in a friendly and admiring way, praising:
You brave little woman,
I believe in you.


Her words are so simple that I'm sure they don't speak to everyone, but I do like the plain, everyday-ish feel of them. For me, her poems seem more like thought bubbles or afterthoughts (if you know what I mean, even though I can't say it very well). They aren't anything fancy and at first they come across like something anyone of us could write... but they do have a great echo to them, don't they? They feel strongly serene and somehow... solid, for me. And there is a lot of wisdom behind those few words.

I feel a bit emotional right now. It's so wonderful to realize that you guys appreciate the same little poems than I do. That you "get" them. That you "get" me. Thank you so much for that.

Anyway, here is one more Eeva Kilpi poem. It has a fun, sarcastic twist. :-)


What is this sound that wakens me at night?

It is biology, it calls out its rights.
At night you can hear it more
clearly, when the
sociologists are sleeping.

[Johanna]

Caroline wrote: "Johanna wrote: "Thank you for the latest poems mc and Caroline! Here is my small contribution to this thread today. Two short poems by Finnish poet Eeva Kilpi (1928-).


HE STEPPED INSIDE MY DOOR
..."

Oh wow. :-) And before you guys know it, you are going to post your messages in Finnish... ;-)

But seriously, yes, I too like to taste the words in original language every time when it's possible. It's funny how you can enjoy words, the feel, the sound of them, even though you don't understand their meaning.

[John]

Not a poem, but something I was reading this morning struck me as poetic.

---
unabashedly , adv.

We were walking home late from a bar — and the term walking is used loosely here, because you were doing something between a skip and a stumble — and suddenly you started singing out your love for me. My name and everything, loud enough to reach the top floors of all the buildings. I should have told you to stop, but I didn’t want you to stop. I didn’t mind if your love for me woke people up. I didn’t mind if it somehow sneaked into their sleep.

You grabbed my hand and twirled me around, two sidewalk sweethearts. Then, very earnestly, you stopped, leaned over, and whispered, “You know, I’d get a tattoo with your name on it. Only, I want you to have the freedom to change your name if you want to.”

I thanked you, and you resumed your song.


--From David Levithan's

[Johanna]

That's priceless, John. Heartwarming and lovely. It leaves a beautiful glow in the wake of it. Thank you for posting it here.

And very nice to see you here, too. :-)

[Johanna]

Now, if the word Fanyon (noun, a person who loves Josh Lanyon books) was explained in dictionary-style, I wonder how it would be expressed? Because that's something I've been pondering over for a couple of days. (Don't ask me why — I have my weird reasons.) :-)

The quote John posted really inspires to put a lot of feeling into it... Anyone care to try? To define Fanyon dictionary-style? I'd love to hear how you guys would do it!

[John]

Johanna wrote: "Now, if the word Fanyon (noun, a person who loves Josh Lanyon books) was explained in dictionary-style, I wonder how it would be expressed? Because that's something I've been pondering over for a c..."

Hmm... We may need a Fanyon's Dictionary . I'm not sure one entry would suffice.

[mc]

Off the top of my head, here are a few. I'm working on others.

Fanyon (noun):

1. Someone sucked into the crack den vortex of Josh Lanyon books.
2. One who re-reads Josh Lanyon books obsessively, able to quote scenes from them more readily than their own childhood memories. Or what they had for dinner two night ago.
3. A reader who stalks follows Josh Lanyon on a variety of internet platforms, often creating a coven community with other stalkers Fanyons.
4. A person who - evidence to the contrary - believes that all of Josh Lanyon's fictional characters are somehow real people, and invests much time and energy imagining their lives, their likes and dislikes, their future activities, and, for the more nasty-minded, their sex lives.

Used in a sentence:

The Fanyon [name redacted] kept a store of water, batteries, cash, beans, Spongebob Bandaids, cans of tuna fish, chocolate, wine and several un-read Josh Lanyon books in case of a national emergency.

[Johanna]

mc wrote: "Used in a sentence:

The Fanyon [name redacted] kept a store of water, batteries, cash, beans, Spongebob Bandaids, cans of tuna fish, chocolate, wine and several un-read Josh Lanyon books in case of a national emergency."

Oh gods, mc, I'm chuckling here hysterically. :-) :-) :-) And I can't seem to stop...

[mc]

Not that I'm referring to anyone specifically, darling Johanna. :-D

[John]

mc wrote: "...several un-read Josh Lanyon books,..."

Unread Josh Lanyon books? Who has them? I'll have the warrants issued immediately, I say, immediately!

Me, I just re-read them obsessively as one might when one is trying to crack the enigma code...

[mc]

I'm sorry, John, in order to protect the citizenry, I can't divulge that information.

[Johanna]

John wrote: "mc wrote: "...several un-read Josh Lanyon books,..."

Unread Josh Lanyon books? Who has them? I'll have the warrants issued immediately, I say, immediately!

Me, I just re-read them obsessively a..."

Heh. :-) Yeah, this Fanyon who's name shall remain secret *cough*mc*cough* must be some sort of exception to the rule with her un-read Josh Lanyon books, right? ;-)

[mc]

All right, Johanna, bring it. Just bring it.

I almost dipped into Rough Magic this week, but re-read the second Adrien English book instead.

[Johanna]

mc wrote: "All right, Johanna, bring it. Just bring it.

I almost dipped into Rough Magic this week, but re-read the second Adrien English book instead."

I see what you mean, dear. I'm currently re-reading (listening to) The Dark Tide. :-)

[Johanna]

Sooo... maybe Fanyon (noun) also tends to hoard Josh Lanyon books in all formats, shapes, sizes and colors available?

[mc]

Well, if we're talking about me, perhaps I'm an alien Fanyon, if John's reaction is anything to go by.

But yes, in general:

5. A person who purchases multiple formats of Josh Lanyon's books, often forgetting that he/she already owns said book in hard copy, epub, mobi, pdf, audiobook, large-type, stone tablet, papyrus and interpretative dance formats.

Shall I add this to the original?

[Johanna]

Hmm... how do you pronounce Fanyon? How do you write it using phonetic symbols?
[fan-yuh n]?

[John]

Johanna wrote: "Sooo... maybe Fanyon (noun) also tends to hoard Josh Lanyon books in all formats, shapes, sizes and colors available?"

It would make sense. Fanyon (vt) means "to squirrel away, to hoard"

[Johanna]

John wrote: "Johanna wrote: "Sooo... maybe Fanyon (noun) also tends to hoard Josh Lanyon books in all formats, shapes, sizes and colors available?"

It would make sense. Fanyon (vt) means "to squirrel away, to..."

LOL! :-D

ETA: Now THAT explains a lot about the squirrels that keep appearing in our threads here... ;-)

[Johanna]

mc wrote: "5. A person who purchases multiple formats of Josh Lanyon's books, often forgetting that he/she already owns said book in hard copy, epub, mobi, pdf, audiobook, large-type, stone tablet, papyrus and interpretative dance formats.

Shall I add this to the original?"

Yes, yes. Definitely. That makes sense. *nod nod* :-)

[mc]

John wrote: "It would make sense. Fanyon (vt) means "to squirrel away, to hoard" "

Excellent...but there has to be the element of, I don't know, Joan Crawford insanity/intensity to it.

Used in a sentence:

"You know, if you don't stop Fanyoning that cute bartender, he's going to call the police, and you'll be locked up in the mental ward on a 5150."

Edited: Ah, wait, I'm using the second verbal meaning of to Fanyon, which is to become obsessive about someone.

[mc]

John's meaning:

If you keep Fanyoning like that, you're going to end up on that Hoarders show.

[KC]

mc wrote: "Off the top of my head, here are a few. I'm working on others.

Fanyon (noun):

1. Someone sucked into the crack den vortex of Josh Lanyon books.
2. One who re-reads Josh Lanyon books obsessively,..."

LOL, that's awesome! :-)

[KC]

Johanna wrote: "Caroline wrote: "Johanna wrote: "Thank you for the latest poems mc and Caroline! Here is my small contribution to this thread today. Two short poems by Finnish poet Eeva Kilpi (1928-).


HE STEPPED..."

I love the Eeva Kilpi poems, especially He Stepped Inside My Door :-)
I'm glad my cloaking device failed there for a moment :-)

[Calathea]

mc wrote: "Off the top of my head, here are a few. I'm working on others.

Fanyon (noun):

1. Someone sucked into the crack den vortex of Josh Lanyon books.
2. One who re-reads Josh Lanyon books obsessively,..."

Laughing so hard here. I love all the meanings! Didn't think you could use it as a verb but it makes sense. :)

What about Fanyon = a person who starts creating her own art in devotion to the original? (looking at no one in particular...^^)

[Antonella]

mc wrote: "A person who purchases multiple formats of Josh Lanyon's books"

I think that a new Fanyon record was set by the people who bought the Japanese translations even though they don't understand Japanese. They should get the platinum fan badge.

[Johanna]

Calathea wrote: "What about Fanyon = a person who starts producing her own art in devotion to the original? (looking at no one in particular...^^)"

:-)

What about Fanyons (noun, plural) a group of persons who have particularly strong understanding, affinity and bond with each other and who share their love for Josh Lanyon's writing. See also: soul mate.

[mc]

Well, Johanna, I *did* call us a coven...errr....community above. But I like your definition a lot more :-) We're Fanyon Companions.

Antonella, absolutely, there has to be a special Kanji badge for them.

Hmmm. Badges. Food badges. Poetry badges. Gardening badges. Bumper stickers. Travel mugs. Fanyon Funyons. Fanyon Lanyons. Merchandising!

TATTOOS!

[Johanna]

Antonella wrote: "mc wrote: "A person who purchases multiple formats of Josh Lanyon's books"

I think that a new Fanyon record was set by the people who bought the Japanese translations even though they don't understand Japanese. They should get the platinum fan badge."

Working on it, dear... LOL.

[Johanna]

Oh... tattoos? Tattoos!!! :-)

[Antonella]

At the risk of never getting my Fanyon badge: tattoos? No way!

[Johanna]

Antonella wrote: "At the risk of never getting my Fanyon badge: tattoos? No way!"

Only temporary...? Especially designed for you...?

[Antonella]

mc wrote: "We're Fanyon Companions."

I like this.

I also liked all the rest all of you wrote before, thank you for your creativity!

[mc]

Oh, definitely temporary, in my case.

Antonella, you could NEVER not get a Fanyon badge.

[Anne]

Antonella wrote: "At the risk of never getting my Fanyon badge: tattoos? No way!"

I have to agree with Antonella on this one. On the other hand, I actually do have one Japanese Lanyon. :) it was part of the prize of the Red Butterfly giveaway.

So, will I still be getting my badge?

[Calathea]

Antonella wrote: "mc wrote: "A person who purchases multiple formats of Josh Lanyon's books"

I think that a new Fanyon record was set by the people who bought the Japanese translations even though they don't unders..."

This buying multiple formats is a new development (for me). I can't remember buying a paperback and then the hardcover or something before. But getting ebook, hard copy and audio book of Josh's books (and only Josh's)... no problem. ;)