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Tag Archives: poetry
Odysseus into the 21st century
This post, gentle readers, will wrap up my theoretical anti-theory discussion about how books continue each other. In this previous post, I looked at how in the 1st century BC Roman poet Virgil continued the stories that Homer told in … Continue reading
Posted in reading, teaching, writing
Tagged books continue each other, comparative literature, poetry, reading
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In a flash
For you. You know who you are. he reads me, but not like a book. books levy their slow tax on time: exacting a split second per word, a half minute for half a page, a quarter hour to sketch … Continue reading
Dante takes Homer’s torch to the Inferno
Don’t think me unaware, dear readers. I know that literary history is not quite as interesting as a tale of being a foreigner or of dropping the f-bomb on my mother. But I just can’t seem to help myself. I’ve … Continue reading
Homer’s torch
A litero-historical tale of books continuing each other As you may remember, gentle readers, I’ve been working my way through some thoughts on how books continue each other. I use the word “books” in the loosest possible sense, because my … Continue reading
Posted in reading, teaching, writing
Tagged books continue each other, comparative literature, fiction, poetry, reading
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What teachers make
A poem by slam poet Taylor Mali, with a little help from YouTube. I wonder how I had never heard of this guy before a week ago.
I, Too, Sing America
In honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, a poem by Langston Hughes I, too, sing America. I am the darker brother. They send me to eat in the kitchen When company comes, But I laugh, And eat well, And … Continue reading
The poet lights the light and fades away. But the light goes on and on. — Emily Dickinson, quoted in The Sun
The Housecat
I was going to post about all the bad hairstyles of my life – the pyramid head, the Ralph Macchio, the 80s poster child – but I ran out of interest in the subject. Instead, I wrote a poem about … Continue reading
I wake up hungry
I wake up hungry and head for the big green chair, with my hot coffee and something delicious to read. Something small and light – a croissant for the mind. My desire is more for the taste than the sustenance, … Continue reading
Heat
By H. D. (Hilda Doolittle) O wind, rend open the heat, cut apart the heat, rend it to tatters. Fruit cannot drop … Continue reading
The Catbird Seat 