poetry

Barton Springs by Cristin O’Keefe Aptowicz

April 30, 2019 by rurugby Leave a Comment

The poetry of Cristin O’Keefe Aptowicz has been huge for me this year. 2019 has been a tough one with a fire on the Saturday before New Year’s displacing me from the house for 2 months and losing a job since I couldn’t work with the fire.

My second favorite book from COA is her book about losing her mom “How to Love the Empty Air”. And honestly something that can make me cry is incredibly helpful. It also makes me think about losing my dad 6 years ago on April 1, 2013.

This is one of the happier poems from the book:

Barton Springs

by Cristin O’Keefe Aptowicz

When they locked the north gates early,
we decide to just walk across the river bed
in our bare feet, the tallest carrying our towels.

on his head. When we reach the springs,
the night is still warm, but so dark. Austin
in late summer, and everyone is laughing.

The water feels like a kiss: all wet and wanted.
Everyone is in love: the moon and the water,
the diving board and the rocks, the night air

and the howls we released into it at midnight.
Weeks ago, you told me you’d never been.
That you felt too pale, too awkward to go.

In the dark, I swim towards you, even though
you aren’t here. Still, I swim to you, the hope
of you, under the pale, perfect Texas moon.

“Basho In Ireland” by Billy Collins

January 18, 2017 by rurugby Leave a Comment

I do enjoy Billy Collins’ work. He is probably one of the most popular poets out there with Mary Oliver, whose work especially “Dog Songs” and “Blue Horses” I really enjoy.

This is from his last collection “The Rain in Portugal: Poems.”

Basho in Ireland

I am like the Japanese poet
who longed to be in Kyoto
even though he was already in Kyoto.

I am not exactly like him
because I am not Japanese
and I have no idea what Kyoto is like

But once, while walking around
the Irish town of Ballyvaughan
I caught myself longing to be in Ballyvaughan.

The sense of being homesick
for a place that is not my home
while bring right in the middle of it

was particularly strong
when I passed the hotel bar
then the fluorescent depth of a laundrette,

also when I stood at the crossroads
with the road signs pointing in 3 directions
and the enormous buses making the turn.

It might have had something to do
with the nearby limestone hills
and the rain collecting on my collar,

but then again I have longed
to be with a number of people
while the two of us were sitting in a room

on an ordinary evening
without a limestone hill in sight,
thousands of miles from Kyoto

and the simple wonders of Ballyvaughan,
which reminds me
of another Japanese poet

who wrote how much he enjoyed
not being able to see
his favorite mountain because of all the fog.

—————————-

It’s strange how memory and longing work.

How certain places can feel like home even when they are not.

And others can feel not home even when they are.

I really loved this poem and wanted to share it.

“The Witches of Commack, Maine” ***

December 10, 2016 by rurugby Leave a Comment

A very enjoyable and extremely readable book by Robin Merrill that I flew through today, including while with butterflies at Magic Wings in Deerfield, MA today.

But, as a pagan, I have big, big problems with the book.

We aren’t in a war with Jesus, or working with demons.

Most pagans I know are cool, spiritual people. In fact, a lot of them including some teachers like Jesus a lot.

There is nothing evil about Wicca or being a witch, of a lover of nature or trees.

I do think a lot of pagans are seekers of spirituality so that is true. But, I have met very, very few pagans who tried to convert people. It’s of course part of Christian tradition. A part which led to horrible atrocities around the world with conversion of the native peoples of the Americas, Africa and around the world. The horrible things that people who were Christian have done for Christ in history are legion. If you are beating native people or torturing them to convert them, the savage person is the abuser.

But, again a very enjoyable book. And I am planning to continue reading Robin Merrill’s work. I have loved her poetry for a long time and really enjoyed “Shelter”. I actually flew through this one faster, I am planning to read “Daniel”, the sequel to “Shelter” next.

Giving Thanks for Books

November 26, 2016 by rurugby Leave a Comment

I didn’t read a whole lot this week but did finish two smaller books.

Books finished: “The Kingdom of Speech” by Tom Wolfe. This took a while to get going, interesting idea that speech keeps man separate from other animals. I do want to read more of Daniel Everett too. I also do wonder how much interesting research is forgotten about or lessened from researchers outside of power. ***

“Pleasing the Ghost” by Sharon Creech — Lovely little children’s book but Sharon Creech has done far better stuff, especially her books written with poetry like “Love the Dog” and “Hate that Cat.” ***

Books checked out:
“Baldwin: Early Novels and Stories” by James Baldwin. — There is a lot of book in this compilation of 4 books from the Library of America. But, James Baldwin is someone I’ve wanted to read more of for a long time. Only 4 pages in to “Go Tell It on the Mountain” which isn’t grabbing me so far. The compilation also includes “Giovanni’s Room”, “Another Country” and “Going to Meet the Man.” I think I will try the short stories in “Going to Meet the Man” next.

“You Will Hear Thunder” by Anna Akhmatova — A Russian poet an old friend recommended, I wish I could get back in touch with her. She actually invited me to Russia after meeting her on match.com, and it was just a friend relationship. It’s sad how many relationships we lose. Happened after college so almost 20 years ago now. Read a couple poems so far.

“NeuroTribes: The Legacy of Autism and the Future of Neurodiversity” by Steve Silberman — Looks fascinating and like a lot of book, I read a few pages in the middle as I am inclined to do. So incredibly sad that autism was judged to come from bad parenting not that long ago.

Splinter Factories

November 18, 2016 by rurugby Leave a Comment

Books finished:

Splinter Factory by Jeffrey McDaniel — Great book of poetry. It’s always wonderful to discover another poet you like. I miss the features at Port Veritas in Portland, Maine and discovering great poets all the time. ***1/2

Voices of Bipolar Disorder — A lot of good pieces in here. The opening piece about the play was unnecessary. There is no question to me Bipolar is a spectrum disorder. ***

You Don’t Miss Your Water by Cornelius Eady — Short book of narrative poetry about Mr. Eady losing his father. Good stuff. ***

Books checked out:

“The Year of Voting Dangerously: The Derangement of American Politics” by Maureen Dowd — Probably too soon, but decided to grab it at the library. When you have a 30 page introduction I feel like it should be part of the book not in small capped roman numerals. Finished the introduction and a couple pieces so far. Read about 60 pages so far.

“A Poetry Handbook: A Prose Guide to Understanding and Writing Poetry” by Mary Oliver — I love her poems especially “Dog Songs” and “…” curious if I will want to buy this. If I like it, it’s something I will need to own.

“From Bauhaus to Our House” by Tom Wolfe — A criticism of contemporary architecture and the Bauhaus movement. A book I already love and I think own, I have no idea where it is, probably a box in our storage space. Up to page 12 this time. ****

“The Book of Joy: Lasting Happiness in a Changing World” by the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu — Two figures I would like to know more about.

“The Making of a Poem : a Norton Anthology of Poetic Forms” / edited by Mark Strand and Eavan Boland — I will be curious how much of this I read or if it’s something I want to keep.

I actually have 15 books out of the library right now which is an awful lot.

Books read:

“Pleasing the Ghost” by Sharon Creech — Nice fun little kids story about his uncle visiting him beyond the grave. Dopey in a lovely way. On page 40 of 89

“This Girl” by Colleen Hoover — Getting better, still an odd book. Helps that it’s been a few weeks since I finished the book this tells from the man’s perspective “Slammed”. This feels mostly unnecessary though. pg. 106 of 285

“Unfathomable City: A New Orleans Atlas” edited by Rebecca Solnit and Rebecca Snedeker, I really want to finish this one, trying to push ahead pg 66 of 158. I honestly wish this was a longer book, the text size is way too small. I definitely need my reading glasses.

“The Kingdom of Speech” by Tom Wolfe — odd book on how speech isn’t explained by Darwin’s “Origin of Species” in Tom Wolfe’s opinion. Not his strongest non-fiction work so far pg. 90 of 169 ***

On Kindle:

Sample of “This is Not My Beautiful Life: A Memoir” by Victoria Fedden, good fun but too expensive at I think $10 on Kindle. Going to see if the CT library has it. Yep.

Sample of “Bukowski in a Sundress: Confessions from a Writing Life” by Kim Addonizio, very good and fun, not in the CT library system but did reserve a fiction book and book of poetry

“Shelter” by Robin Merrill — 17% of the way in. I’m enjoying the Christian romance so far. She said there are 3 churches that operate as shelters within 30 miles of her house in central Maine. Not my genre but I expect to read this one and the sequel Daniel. ***

Nice that my Kindle is working right again, my wife Lanna figured out something to get it updated. Woo!