So long as men can breathe, or eyes can see,So long lives this, and this gives life to thee. William Shakespeare, sonnet 18 My brother says that our brother in-lawis in a better place, but I hold in my tongueand resist to say out loud what I believe, that there is no better place, unlessContinue reading “#515: There’s No Better Place”
Tag Archives: Shakespeare
#513: Green
Never let go of that fiery sadness called desire. Patti Smith Time held me green and dying Though I sang in my chains like the sea. Dylan thomas, “Fern Hill” You’re not Dylan Thomas; I’m not Patti Smith. Taylor Swift, “the tortured poet’s department” Green Green with desire, lust in its seven deadly form,the greenContinue reading “#513: Green”
#490: Sonnet with a Stolen Last Line from Shakespeare that is not a Sonnet about Shakespeare, FYI
When reading sonnets by another poet, I think to myself, mine aren’t very good. And I try to dial in the source of that doubtby pointing at the things I like in his, the things that make his poems better. He’s not rhyming, his lines, most all five beats;I’m not doing or doing these sameContinue reading “#490: Sonnet with a Stolen Last Line from Shakespeare that is not a Sonnet about Shakespeare, FYI”
#482: Shakespeare tried to immortalize his love . . .
Shakespeare tried to immortalize his lovein sonnets, in perfect iambic linesand in masterful metaphor, enjambed rhymes.What lives on is the poem, not the person. But it’s better than nothing, I suppose,and everyone who dies should have a poemcomposed in their memory, 14 lines,a poem that preserves something of a soul, that argues that the worldContinue reading “#482: Shakespeare tried to immortalize his love . . .”
#439: The poet Larry Levis said or wrote . . .
Greetings! Happy April Fool’s day. Far be it from me, though, to play a prank on you, dear reader. So, I begin today holding true to the self-challenge of writing 30 sonnets in 30 days in celebration of National Poetry Writing Month. For this first one, I have decided to be faithful to the ShakespeareanContinue reading “#439: The poet Larry Levis said or wrote . . .”
#323: Good or Bad?
(a villanelle on a stolen line from Hamlet) Nothing either good or bad but thinking makes it so, says Hamlet, and I tend to think he’s right, but bad weather and evil persist, you know. There could possibly be another show that proves it’s all subjective, right? Nothing either good or bad but thinking makesContinue reading “#323: Good or Bad?”
April’s Greatest Hits: Audio Poems
So it was that during all of April I wrote poems, 32 of them to be precise, in celebration of National Poetry Writing Month. And they all, or most of them, turned out to be about this guy, or at least inspired by this guy, the Bard from Stratford Upon Avon, because, as you mayContinue reading “April’s Greatest Hits: Audio Poems”
#217: Poem on the 26th of the Month of April
My head is empty of poems; instead it’s full of Shakespeare, trying to hold on to my lines even though the run is over. I found myself running some of them today for no other reason than to see if I could do it. My mind is full of The Flaming Lips because I’ve been listening toContinue reading “#217: Poem on the 26th of the Month of April”
#215: The Actor “Decides” the Last Scene is Four Lines Too Long and Does Some Spontaneous Editing On Stage
Moving through the last show of the run, it was hard to contain my happiness. Through the first four acts I felt downright giddy. It was difficult to suppress the smiles and there was a kind of laughter inside, too flattering sweet to be substantial. I was happy the run was near an end butContinue reading “#215: The Actor “Decides” the Last Scene is Four Lines Too Long and Does Some Spontaneous Editing On Stage”
#214: Lord Capulet Interrogates Michael Jarmer in a Closing Night Sonnet
First things first: Happy birthday, Bill! It’s been a super rough year. The loss of Bowie, Rickman et. al., and just days ago now, the devastating loss of Prince, makes one super conscious of the fragility of life, especially when our heroes fall, heroes who seemed to us untouchable and timeless, almost god-like. But now, involvedContinue reading “#214: Lord Capulet Interrogates Michael Jarmer in a Closing Night Sonnet”
michael jarmer 