by Kat | Apr 30, 2026 | General, Poetry
It’s been a very quiet National Poetry Month in blog-land… (you can read the full update as to why it was so quite on Kym’s post today) although, I have been reading lots of poetry. Lots of poetry. And though I am still very much in Blog Hiatus, when Kym mentioned some Lightning Round Questions, I was All In!
So, with no further ado, here are Kym’s Questions… with my answers:
When was the first time you remember being moved by a poem? Bonus points if you remember which poem.
Ahhh! It was the day some years ago when Kym shared Derek Walcott’s Love After Love. It is a poem I circle back to frequently.
Favorite nursery rhyme?
Hmm, I had to think about this one for a bit… The first one that I thought of was Little Jack Horner but I don’t know if that is my favorite. I think the one that, for me, had the best images was Humpty Dumpty all those king’s horses and men were memorable!
Favorite Mary Oliver poem? (Just one…)
Ahhh, this one is easy for me… it is The Summer Day I mean haven’t you asked yourself what you will do with your one wild and precious life?
Song lyrics: Poetry? Or something else?
I mean… aren’t all song lyrics poetry? For me, that answer is a resounding YES!
Favorite Dr. Seuss book?
One fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish! (followed in a very close second by Green Eggs and Ham!)
A poetry collection you’ve read recently?
Mmmm, The Blue House: Collected works of Tomas Tranströmer… and I loved them so much I purchased a copy of the book for my poetry library!
When do find yourself reaching for poetry most often?
I read poetry every single day… I honestly don’t know how one would get through “these times” without it. It is always the best part of the day! I also listen to poetry podcasts as well… those podcasts have introduced me to so many new-to-me poets! (And if you are wondering about which podcasts… they are The Slowdown which offers episodes M-F and is hosted by the delightful Maggie Smith, Poetry Unbound hosted by Padraig O’Tuama which is not daily, but there are seasons of episodes for one to get lost in, and Poetry for All hosted by Joanne Diaz and Abram Van Engen. It is a bit more like a class on poetry and is really so good… episodes drop monthly.)
How do you keep track of poems you especially like?
In books of poetry, I use page flags to save pages. Also, I utilize Apple Notes on my phone… I have a Poetry section that is quite full… a good thing because it is nice to have poetry handy even when I am away from my poetry library!
Favorite movie having to do with poetry?
Oof, this is a hard question. The first moving that sprung to my mind was Dead Poet’s Society. But I would not say that was a favorite movie. A movie I really enjoyed that was about a famous poet was Neruda. Which then reminded me of Il Postino… a movie I loved (and should watch again!)
Which poem are you keeping in your pocket today?
No physical poem in my pocket but I always have Fog by Carl Sandburg in my head. It is embedded deeply thanks to my beloved grandpa who recited it frequently.
I hope that you found some moments this month to read a bit of poetry. I will be back to regular blogging soon. I hope your April has been amazing!
Header photo by Ann Marie Kennon
by Kat | Apr 9, 2026 | General, Poetry
On Monday, Bonny shared a new-to-me form of poetry… the Zip Ode and with the sharing she also invited those reading to give it a try.
Well, almost instantly an idea began germinating in my brain. Now, I live in the South Hills of Pittsburgh and though my is easy to remember (15243… I mean it is perfect especially if you type it out… the perfect back and forth of a line of numbers… ) However, no “free-spot” zero’s to help at all.
So over the course of Monday… Tuesday… and Wednesday… I played with the awkward word number combinations. A puzzler’s puzzle to be sure!
Is this great poetry? Oh, heavens no! But it was fun and my brain got a most excellent word work out!
Frost!
Winter is battling to win
but Spring
has never been defeated.
Weather games continue.
I thought it might be delightful fun to challenge my brain to do a Zip Ode a week for a bit… let me tell you, it was an excellent distraction from the Shite Show that is life. I may or may not share my future Zip Ode attempts, but I call on all of you to accept Bonny’s invitation and give a Zip Ode a try!
Happy Thursday everyone! See you all back here next week!
Header photo by Ginny-Marie Richter
by Kat | Jul 17, 2025 | General, Poetry
I have been focused on finding gratitudes this week and as Thursday arrives it seems that when I look for things to be grateful for…they are everywhere. The act of seeking out gratitude has also had the most delightful impact on my attitude.
I stumbled across the poem I am sharing today earlier this month, but I have been re-visiting it almost daily since discovering it. And this week, the poet who wrote it tops my gratitude list.
When Giving Is All We Have
by Alberto Ríos
One river gives
Its journey to the next
We give because someone gave to us.
We give because nobody gave to us.
We give because giving has changed us.
We give because giving could have changed us.
We have been better for it,
We have been wounded by it—
Giving has many faces: It is loud and quiet,
Big, though small, diamond in wood-nails.
Its story is old, the plot worn and the pages too,
But we read this book, anyway, over and again:
Giving is, first and every time, hand to hand,
Mine to yours, yours to mine.
You gave me blue and I gave you yellow.
Together we are simple green. You gave me
What you did not have, and I gave you
What I had to give—together, we made
Something greater from the difference.
When Giving Is All We Have © 2015 by Alberto Ríos.
You can learn more about Alberto Ríos here and here. You will find his website here.
A huge thanks to Bonny for gathering us all together today, make sure you stop by and see what others have shared today!
Header photo by Pixabay
by Kat | May 15, 2025 | General, Poetry
Recently, I find myself leaning into poetry more and more. I have been using it as the “precursor” to my meditation times. It helps settle me, still my mind, and is working as the perfect bridge to 15-ish minutes of focusing on nothing but my breathing.
I love to find connections in poems… and recently I read a book of poetry from the beloved Billy Collins where he begins the book in the most incredible way. The book is The Trouble With Poetry: And Other Poems and the opening poem is You, Reader. The book is full of beautiful poems, but what Billy does with this introduction poem really is quite incredible. It is a book of poetry that is full of connections… incredible connections between writer and reader.
You, Reader
by Billy Collins
I wonder how you are going to feel
when you find out
that I wrote this instead of you.
that it was I who got up early
to sit in the kitchen
and mention with a pen
the rain-soaked windows,
the ivy wall paper,
and the goldfish circling in its bowl.
Go ahead and turn aside,
bit your lip and tear out the page,
but, listen—it was just a matter of time
before one of us happened
to notice the unlit candles
and the clock humming on the wall.
Plus, nothing happened that morning—
a song on the radio,
a car whistling along the road outside—
and I was only thinking
about the shakers of salt and pepper
that were standing side by side on a place mat.
I wondered if they had become friends
after all these years
or if they were still strangers to one another
like you and I
who manage to be known and unknown
to each other at the same time—
me at this table with a bowl of pears,
you leaning in a doorway somewhere
near some blue hydrangeas, reading this.
The Trouble With Poetry: And Other Poems © 2005 Billy Collins.
Now we all, Billy included, have this connection together and I think it is one of the best things about poetry! Please stop and see who Bonny has gathered together today!
That is it for me this week. I will see you all back here on Mond
by Kat | Nov 21, 2024 | General, Poetry
I contemplated skipping the poetry today… because, I completely forgot about it. But I pulled out the poetry book I am reading this year (although, I have not read a lick of poetry from it since you know who arrived!) and serendipitously, it fell open to the poem I am sharing today.
A few more moments spent searching on Pexels for a photo that will work and before I knew it, the post was ready to share!
The poem is so very fitting for my life right now and I hope you enjoy it as well.
Clearing
Martha Postlethwaite
Do not try to save
the whole world
or do anything grandiose.
Instead, create
a clearing
in the dense forest
of your life
and wait there
patiently,
until the song
that is yours alone to sing
falls into your open cupped hands
and you recognize and greet it.
Only then will you know
how to give yourself
to this world,
so worthy of rescue.
Martha Postlethwaite, “Clearing.” Copyright © 2007 by Martha Postlethwaite. First published in The World of Prayer: Activists and Humanitarians Share Their Favorite Prayers (Orbis Books, 2012).
There is little about Ms. Postlethwaite on the interwebs and she has just a single book listed on Goodreads. I am ever so glad that this poem was included in Poetry of Presence II.
If you need more poetry in your life today, stop by and see who has gathered with Bonny today.
See you all back here on Monday with my word update!
Header photo by cottonbro studio
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