I had almost forgotten to post about this; I’ll be on the radio tomorrow night, and I have a link for you to listen in. But it’s also day 19 of Poetry Month, and I need to post a recording for it.
For an hour after work tonight, I just dully surfed the net, while this post screen remained blank. I had thought about peace poems, serious poems, but they all felt too heavy for tonight. I needed a love song, a love poem, a lyrical one that could be set to music. But not that kind of love poem, not just sappy romance or infatuation, but something tender, something family, with deep love and good humor.
Frankly the news is getting to me. I’m glad they captured the second suspect. I understand the anger. I’m angry too. But some of these calls for “justice” sound more like a craving for revenge. “Suspect” is a word that means something, and we have things like investigations and trials and due process for a reason. Still, I hear people say, “They should have just shot him right then.” Mob mentality. That’s not how justice works in this country. Since when did we start believing that if we watched CNN all day we’d know the facts?
Breath in, David. Okay, breath out.
So I needed something to restore my faith in humanity again. First shootings and bombings, and then blood lust and mob justice. I needed some comfort and security. Brian was napping; the boys were all an hour away at their mother’s, and though the cat was purring and loving, he was also sticking his butt in my face. I wasn’t amused, and it wasn’t comforting.
Then I remembered that tomorrow night WITF radio out of Harrisburg (FM 89.5 and 93.3) will be airing a program at 8 PM called “Center Stage,” and that I was going to tell you about it because in their pilot of a mini-show within that program they would be featuring me, and this blog! “Poet’s Corner” will be a six minute little piece from an interview I did with them back in October while promoting the Commonwealth poetry readings that I participated in along with four other Pennsylvania poets at our state Capitol Building.
My reading of my poem “Local News” starts at about 3:53 in the feature. Just click here and scroll down the page for the audio of Poet’s Corner. I’m honored to be on the program. Thank you, Carry Burkett for the interview and the opportunity.
And I want to encourage you to check out the entire program “Center Stage,” Saturday, that’s tonight at 8 PM (EST) because it show cases the husband and wife duo of Liz Queler and Seth Farber and their Edna Project, live from the main stage of the Midtown Scholar bookstore, where I I also had the pleasure of reading that day in October (Here’s the Podcast of that with it’s awkwardly funny opening!). The Edna Project is their album on which they have set to music some of the poetry of Edna St. Vincent Millay.
I had a hard time finding a link on WITF’s page to listen to them streaming online, so you’ll have to use an outside website as your source. Streema.com worked fine for me (click here). There will be no podcast of this show, so if you cannot listen, please click on the “Center Stage” page and scroll down to hear my six minutes of fame. If you missed the link first time, here it is again.
For today’s reading then here is a bit of love, some teasing and the security and stability we all need from those who are most dear to our hearts, as were Edna St. Vincent Millay’s and her sisters to each other. This a bit of love, admiration and tongue-in-cheek adoration “To Kathleen.” Someone critiqued one of my recent readings as a bit too sweet. You shouldn’t listen to this one then. No apologies, by the way. Edna can be sweet because she was brilliant enough to get away with it.
To Kathleen
STILL must the poet as of old,
In barren attic bleak and cold,
Starve, freeze, and fashion verses to
Such things as flowers and song and you;
Still as of old his being give
In Beauty’s name, while she may live,
Beauty that may not die as long
As there are flowers and you and song.
Related articles
- I Wish I’d Written That #1: Matthew Rohrer’s “Poem for Edna St. Vincent Millay” (thepoetryforge.com)
- How to Teach 4th Grade: The Poetry Unit (expatteacherman.com)
- “Love Poems for Cannibals” Blends Poetry and History (tucsonweekly.com)
- Guest Post: The Big List of Different Types of Poems by Kenney (lizbethsgarden.wordpress.com)
- Celebrating National Poetry Month: Using Poetry to Connect Children and Nature (phippsscienceeducation.org)
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