Perhaps one reason poetry is a lost art is because, like Shakespeare’s plays, much of it is meant to be read aloud, not just to oneself in a dark corner, and as poetry recitation has diminished, the enjoyment of the poem has faded away, as well. I do believe the love of poetry can be an acquired taste, like avocados and red wine. You just need to find a poem which is the right vintage for your palate. Not everyone has to like the same poems.

PBS has produced several videos of people reciting their favorite poems. My favorite of the ones I watched (there were several I wasn’t interested in watching) was former poet laureate Stanley Kunitz reciting “God’s Grandeur” by Gerard Manley Hopkins. Watch it to see how a poem should be read. Even with his warbly old man’s voice, he beautifully presents one of my favorite poems.

Do you have a favorite poem? Anyone?

Well, I couldn’t even entice many with gifts to give me a little poetic license, but we had our drawing and will be sending Shakespeare (or a reasonable imitation) to my old friend Kelly, who shared a Chesterton quote which was quite apropos: “Shakespeare is quite himself; it is only some of his critics who have discovered that he was somebody else.”

In addition, Karen, Tambra, and Dana get a play, though Tambra and Dana need to let me know which one and where to send it…Taming of the Shrew is taken.

Jaime, I’d like to see what you could do if you had time to write some poetry .

I’ve had to do some creative tinkering to post on my blog, using a different editing program though I still have WordPress—an emergency, interim measure as my tech support hubby is very, very busy with real, real programming issues that are more pressing than my need to occasionally meld minds with my buddies in cyberspace. Eventually, he’s hoping to figure out why WordPress won’t let me directly save my posts…apparently it’s a problem with other people, too.

Since I’ve had to be creative, I think you should be creative, too, and give me a little encouragement to spark even more creativity. I love the submissions so far, and the original poetry is amazing, but I welcome even quotes and poems you find from other places, too. It’s all welcome, and I am looking forward to finding a good home for my Shakespeare journal. Here are some more views, the back cover and the inside covers, to tempt you to join in the fun.

For those ladies who correctly identified my Shakespeare references in the last post, Karen and Tambra, here are the Shakespeare plays I have available. Let me know which is your first and second choice and give me your address (carmon(at)softanswer(dot)com), and I will send you your play. There’s still one quote alluded to, left to finish and name the play:

At least, kill me with kindness, and thus curb my “mad and headstrong humor”–’tis the best way to…

Romeo and Juliet
Hamlet
Love’s Labor’s Lost
Richard III
Macbeth
The Taming of the Shrew
Othello
King Lear

My muse has left me. Oh for a muse of fire…

However, I have my daughter back, and with her may come inspiration. At least I will have less perspiration, as Anna’s absence made our hearts grow fonder for her magical abilities to contribute to the household economy. We all pitch in and do our part, but she somehow has a knack for pulling it all together. I am aware that one day there will have to be a shift in the balance of power as new alliances are formed, but for now I’m glad to have her home.

I’m so glad I feel like celebrating, and I have the perfect excuse: a birthday!

Five hundred forty-four years ago, April 23, arguably the greatest man of letters ever born, was born. It is also arguable whether the man born on that date in Stratford-upon-Avon in England was the author of the works of literature which bear his name, but for the sake of argument, we will let him continue to take credit. I want to give away a present for his birthday, so humor me. At least, kill me with kindness, and thus curb my “mad and headstrong humor”–’tis the best way to…

This is what I want from you: wax poetic. Poetry can be as varied as haiku and sonnets, Robert Frost and Emily Dickinson, alliteration and onomatopoeia. A phrase, a stanza, a quote about poetry, your own efforts or something you copy from somewhere else (giving credit where credit is due, of course). Leave your contribution to my quest for creativity in the comments, and Saturday night we will pick a name to receive the decorated journal I created a few months ago:

There are more lovely things on the back and inside of the journal, which I will try to post pictures of tomorrow, if things slow down to a petty pace, and the day is not too full of sound and fury…

For now, forsooth, I must away to bed,
Lest losing sleep I lose my mind instead.

Oh, one more thing: if you feel so inclined, finish one of the three Shakespeare quotes followed by ellipses above, and tell me what play it’s from, I will give the first three clever people to give right answers a copy of a Shakespeare play, your choice from a list I will send you of the ones I have available.

Farewell!

Hilaire Belloc, friend of Chesterton, may not have been quite as eminently quotable, but he came close. How can you not admire a man who quipped:

When I am dead, I hope it is said, “His sins were scarlet, but his books were read.”

His name sounds like it came from one of his silly rhymes in Cautionary Tales, poking fun at stodgy Victorian verse for children, making a parody of the saccharine moral lessons in that badly-written doggerel. His clever jingles shine with humor, and rather than seeming mean-spirited for their mild mockery, they only evoke a giggle. His drollery also shows in The Bad Child’s Book of Beasts. Here’s his description of the tiger:

The tiger, on the other hand,
Is kittenish and mild,
And makes a pretty playfellow
For any little child.
And mothers of large families
(Who claim to common sense)
Will find a tiger well repays
The trouble and expense.

I wonder if he wrote that to keep his five children in line.

You can hear Mr. Belloc’s elderly voice reciting a couple of his poems in rousing song and read a short biography of him here.