The plants and flowers
I raised about my hut
I now surrender
to the will
of the wind.
-Ryokan
The tulips and daffodils
I planted in my front yard
I now surrender
To the mercy
Of neighborhood children.
-Mary Lou Kownacki
These poems seem especially poignant to me now, when I am praying for an East wind to blow across Sendai to disperse contaminants, and at this time of year when there are crocuses bursting out of the mud just when hoards of children rampage through my backyard leaping like spring colts from the stalls.
Look for the book Between Two Souls; Conversations with Ryokan by Mary Lou Kownacki for more of that thought-provoking loveliness.
Don't miss the Kidlit4Japan auction organized by Greg R. Fishbone, starting today. Authors, illustrators and other Children's Literature people are donating items and services with all proceeds going to benefit the victims of the recent tragedies in Japan. More ways to help Japan are listed at the Paper Tigers blog, including a New Sun rising writer's anthology you can submit too and several other auctions done by artists, authors, and editors in the book world. great opportunities to get involved there! If you know of other events being organized leave me a comment and I will add links and info here.
And now, on with the show! The Friday Poetry round up is right here today! Leave your name (with the author or title of your poetry post) and the direct URL to your Friday Poetry post. Be sure to come back later and visit around the other blogs linked here to enjoy poetry all weekend!
26 comments:
Hi Andi,
What a fabulous book! Can't wait to read it.
I heard of another auction for Japan:
http://tabathayeatts.blogspot.com/2011/03/no-dark-out-there.html
It has books by Kristin Cashore on it.
BTW, your link didn't work until I took out part of it. Try it and you'll see what I mean.
Have a great weekend!
A praise song is almost a lament, and definitely sung in a minor key, in light of the past week's events. But Hopkins reminds us to praise the whole lot of our world, "whatever is fickle, freckled (who knows how?)"
Praise be for Friday, and for poetry, and for healing.
Thanks for hosting. Great poems. (I can relate -- kids have been picking the crocuses in the land lab at school during recess!) Interesting concept for the book.
I'm thinking about Japan too - here's mine.
Thanks for hosting.
Thanks for hosting, Andi. And wow, that sounds like an awesome book. One of the things I've always loved about literature is the way it allows you to have a conversation with people long gone, and those not yet born. But to actually write poems in response to each poem--- I may have to take that up as a Poetry Month project!
I'm in today with a poem from a local poet who has a new book coming out. It's a boxing poem: Teaching the Girls.
Thanks for helping me with the link Tabatha. I didn't see the auction you mention though. Can you share more about it?
Love the idea of conversations across centuries. Thanks for featuring Between Two Souls -- sounds like a beautiful book!
I had Japan on my mind today, too, with Basho haiku.
Thanks for hosting, Andi!
Whoops, I'm in actually with a poem by Donald Davie, not anything to do with Barbara Pym! That's a leftover from a Seven Quick Takes post I did months ago, for another blog entirely, that the linky form obviously remembered! (So, Barbara Pym fans, you're out of luck today).
Thanks so much for hosting -- beautiful poem and daffodils!
Thanks, Andi, for your choice of poems today. laughing children and flowers are exactly what we need to be reminded of. OUr thoughts are very much on Japan at the moment too - and I've just posted the link to Sally's PF post with a call for poets to contribute to an anthology for Japan.
I posted earlier in the week about some other auctions that are going on... but I hadn't seen the Kidlit one so thatnks for letting us know about that too.
Thanks for hosting and pointing us towards what we can do to help Japan! Also, the poems posted are a lovely reminder of how past works can still be in dialogue with living artists. Very inspiring.
Thanks for hosting today, Andi. Beautiful pairing of poems -- the book sounds really interesting.
I'm in today with Marianne Moore, my husband's pick this week.
Thanks for hosting! At 100 Scope Notes I have a book spine poem: http://100scopenotes.com/2011/03/18/poetry-friday-the-mix-up/
I love what you have posted this this week. My heart is heavy yet prayful that relief will find Japan
love the comparison between the two surrenders. an interesting juxtaposition between "will" and "mercy."
though i was thinking about how the moon is going to be huge this week, and happy for news other than the recent tragedies, the poem i'm posting this week comes from an old japanese zen koan.
I appreciate you thoughtful post about Japan.
Andi,
What an interesting post! I'm going to have to get a copy of that book. BTW, my daughter attended Saint Anselm, a Benedictine college in New Hampshire.
I hope the weather where you live is as beautiful as it is here where I live. We finally have a taste of spring!
Enjoy your weekend!
What a beautiful post-- in both words and images. I just took homegrown tulips to my Mom in the hospital, so this is especially meaningful. Thanks!
MotherReader has A Dazzling Display of Dogs! A review of the book, I mean, not like an actual display of dogs which would be just silly. ;^)
http://www.motherreader.com/2011/03/poetry-friday-dazzling-display-of-dogs.html
Thanks for hosting!
Hi, Andi.
Thanks for your lovely, thoughtful post and for hosting Poetry Friday.
Barb
Thanks for hosting.
To celebrate Women in History Month, I've selected "Vherses: a celebration of outstanding women" written by J. Patrick Lewis and illustrated by Mark Summers.
Andi, I love your your thoughtful review of the poetry book and the idea of a conversation in poetry across the centuries. And your crocuses are refreshing. So nice that spring is finally here!
Wishing everyone a happy Poetry Friday and a lovely weekend.
Sounds like a fabulous book, Andi. Thanks for hosting - I'm in today with Wordsworth's "I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud", in honor of some daffodils I saw this morning!
Hi Andromeda and fellow poetry lovers,
Sadly I haven't participated for several Fridays, but am always inspired by this community. Looking forward to bringing more poetry in to the classroom especially for Poetry Month.
Thanks. ~Theresa
Better late than never, right? Wanted all my poetry loving friends to know that the featured topic of the April edition of Oprah magazine is poetry. There's a terrific interview of Mary Oliver and lots of other good stuff too!
Thanks for sharing these, especially at this moment when Japan is so much in our thoughts.h
Thank you for hosting and for sharing such a beautiful, meaningful post.
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