BW17: Poem in Your Pocket

Poem in your Pocket was created by the New York Mayor's office in 2002 as part of National Poetry Month. In 2008 The Academy of American Poets spread the idea to become a worldwide activity, encouraging all to join in. April 30th is the official Poem in your Pocket day.  Carry a poem in your pocket and share it, or not.

Afternoon on the Hill 

by 

Edna St. Vincent Milay 

I will be the gladdest thing
Under the sun!
I will touch a hundred flowers
And not pick one.


I will look at cliffs and clouds
With quiet eyes,
Watch the wind bow down the grass,
And the grass rise.


And when lights begin to show
Up from the town,
I will mark which must be mine,
And then start down!

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History of the Medieval World - Chapter 20 

End of the Roman Myth:   pp 132 - 139

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BW16: Sonnets

Courtesy of BBC History

When I think of sonnets, my mind takes me right to William Shakespeare.

William Shakespeare was born April 25, 1564 and died April 23 1616 at the age of 52.  What can I say about the bard that most of us don't already know?  My late mother in law adored him and had memorized all his plays.  Numerous sites are dedicated to him and his works may be found online here, here, here and here to name a few. He wrote many sonnets which are a poetic form.  What exactly is a sonnet?  The word comes from the italian sonetto which means little song.

According to dictionary.com 

  

 a poem, properly expressive of a single, complete thought, idea, or sentiment, of 14 lines, usually in iambic pentameter, with rhymes arranged according to one of certain definite schemes, being in the strict or Italian form divided into a major group of 8 lines (the octave) followed by a minor group of 6 lines (the sestet), and in a common English form into 3 quatrains followed by a couplet.

The Shakespearean form is slightly different 

 Here, three quatrains and a couplet follow this rhyme scheme: abab, cdcd, efef, gg. The couplet plays a pivotal role, usually arriving in the form of a conclusion, amplification, or even refutation of the previous three stanzas, often creating an epiphanic quality to the end.

Poets of today used a modernized version of the sonnet and is only recognizable by its 14 lines and thematic qualities.  Check out this link with examples and links to various poets. Want to write a sonnet of your very own.  Check out How to Write a Sonnet offered by No Sweat Shakespeare or Sonnet Writer's instructions.

No, I won't challenge you to write a sonnet, however if you have a mind too, please share.

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History of the Medieval World - Chapter 19 The High Kings pp 125 -131 

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BW15: Haiku for you

One of the most important traditional forms of Japanese poetry is the Haiku.  I fell in love with Haiku when my son and I read Grass Sandals: The Travels of Basho while doing Five in a Row.  So much fun to read and even more to write.  Although I'm not a poet, still find joy in putting together Haiku's which lead to exploring other forms.   Haiku seems simple enough.  Three lines of poetry with 5 syllables in the first line, 7 syllables in the second line and 5 syllables in the third line. They don't have to rhyme but traditionally should have a seasonal word to indicate the season. It doesn't necessarily have to be autumn, winter, spring or fall but a word that represents the season.  

Basho

Temple bells die out.
The fragrant blossoms remain.
A perfect evening!

or 

Masaoka Shiki

Night; and once again,
the while I wait for you, cold wind
turns into rain. 

Check out Haiku for People which lists all the old masters plus samples of their poems.

My challenge to you this week is to write haiku.  Here's mine:

Morning glory blooms
Harkening Spring's coming soon
Purple majesty

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History of the Medieval World - Chapter 18 Orthodoxy (pp 120 - 124) 

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BW14: April Alliteration

Welcome to April Alliteration and our author flavor of the month, C.S. Lewis.  April is National Poetry Month and there will be multiple events taking place over the month sponsored by the National Poetry Foundation.Check out their website for more information and different ways to celebrate the art of poetry.

Poetry can take many forms, from Acrostic to Sonnets to Ballads to Dirges to Free Verse to Odes to Couplets. A variety of rhythms and meter from Iambic to Alcaic to Blank Verse to Rhyme.  And the techniques are numerous from C.S. Lewis's Chronicles of Narnia Allegories to the Neologism of Lewis Carrol's Jabberwocky.

For the month of April, we'll be highlighting various poets and forms, as well as doing a readalong of C.S. Lewis Space Trilogy which includes Out of the Silent Planet, Perelandra and That Hideous Strength.

C.S Lewis has written over 60 books about multiple subjects including literary history, literary criticism, theology, philosophy, biblical studies, sermons, essays, shorts stories, poetry as well as fantasy and science fiction.  He is best known for his Chronicles of Narnia which I read as a teen and again as an adult, getting different things out of them each time.  It's probably time for another reread, this time with my son and it will be interesting to see how he perceives them.  I also have Mere Christianity in my stacks.

Tyndale Seminary has created the C.S. Lewis Reading Room and made some of  C.S. Lewis's writing available online as well as the Online Books Page.


Join me this month is reading poetry, maybe trying your hand at creating your own poetry and reading C.S. Lewis.

 "Literature adds to reality, it does not simply describe it. It enriches the necessary competencies that daily life requires and provides; and in this respect, it irrigates the deserts that our lives have already become."  ~ C.S. Lewis

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History of the Medieval World - Chapter 17 Attila (pp 115 - 119)

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