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Late August

I was looking for a different poem when I turned a few pages and out popped the following poem by Seamus Heaney. After reading it I no longer looked for that other poem, another day perhaps! Today’s poem was written in the 1960s when Heaney was in his early 20s. I am mindful that weContinue reading “Late August”

THE WAY OF IT

Those of you who have been reading this blog for some time know my fondness for the words of R.S. Thomas. His words combine faith and doubt, certainty and mystery, sound and silence. His wife, Mildred “Elsie” Eldridge (for 51 years until her death) was a well regarded English Artist and book illustrator. They sharedContinue reading “THE WAY OF IT”

A good dog story!

In a much lighter mood from The Odyssey I turn to Billy Collins. The back cover of the book I quote from today refers to Collins’ poems as follows – “…they may, and often do, begin with the everyday and end in the infinite. Collins has managed to enrich American poetry while greatly widening theContinue reading “A good dog story!”

“Ithaca, at last”

The moive is out but as yet I have not seen it, however I think I will prefer the book! Homer’s Odyssey, an epic of adventure of the ten years for Odysseus, (Latin Ulysses) to return to Ithaca after the ten year battle of Troy! Early reviews of director Chris Nolan’s movie are full ofContinue reading ““Ithaca, at last””

“the deep heart’s core”

These past few days I have enjoyed the beauty and splendour of northern Michigan, along the eastern edge of Lake Michigan. There was a lot of pausing and pondering as the view changed at every turn. It brought to mind W.B. Yeats’ most celebrated poem The Lake Isle of Innisfree written in 1888. The realContinue reading ““the deep heart’s core””

4th July

I turn today to the words of Langston Hughes. His words are always fresh, provocative, and inspiring. We cannot be the same person we were before, once we allow his words to enter into our heart and soul. I offer just a few verses from his poem Let America Be America Again. He never didContinue reading “4th July”

A Place to Call Home!

Fady Joudah is a Palestinian-American poet, translator, and physician known for his profound work in poetry and literary translation. Joudah has contributed to global health efforts, working as a field member of Doctors Without Borders, dedicated to humanitarian efforts bringing medical care to those in need. He was born in Austin, Texas. The son ofContinue reading “A Place to Call Home!”

What of the stanzas we never sing?

It was a silly conversation between myself and my mentor some 40+ years ago. We were sitting in his study just a few hundred yards off Princes Street in Edinburgh, and the conversation began quite serious concerning the “after life” but as it progressed with both of us trying to reach for words that didn’tContinue reading “What of the stanzas we never sing?”

Lairg, Sutherland

If only we had known then, what we know now. If only we could have appreciated the landscape then, the way we often long for that landscape today! In my late 20s and serving my first solo position with the Church of Scotland following two years in a city center church in Edinburgh which wasContinue reading “Lairg, Sutherland”

…and longing, yes, this most of all;

Sitting on my desk and due to be returned to the library is Franny Choi’s book of poems The World Keeps Ending, and the World Goes On . I posted that poem a few weeks ago and today I will post a second choice.The poem Things That Already Go Past Borders, is really a seriesContinue reading “…and longing, yes, this most of all;”