Tuesday, July 14, 2020

"Written at Scarborough," by Mary Tighe

One-minute reading/video of a poem written by Mary Tighe (1772-1810), an Anglo-Irish poet known mainly for her long poem, Psyche, which retells the Pysche/Cupid myth. I like the modern tone of this poem.

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9DKyYzZyIPI

She Looks Good

30-second reading/video of a poem I posted in 2017, "She Looks Good."  On the lighter side.

link:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S_KKj2h1jMk

Thursday, July 9, 2020

"Lesbia," by Richard Aldington

Short reading/video of a poem about Lesbia, with whom the poet Catullus was in love and about/to whom he wrote poems. Here real name may have been Clodia, and she was apparently both learned and beautiful and wrote a satire of Caesar. Aldington alludes to the gods Hermes (Greek), Thoth (Egyptian), and Bel (Mesopotamian), as well as to a Renaissance philosopher, Pico Della Mirandola, who wrote a book of 90 theses, which the Catholic church banned.

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lJAii3Zync4

Wednesday, July 8, 2020

"Absent Sister," by Hans Ostrom

Short (30 seconds) reading/video of a poem, "Absent Sister," which I published here in 2017. I don't know much about anti-matter.

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V4VGaWcPXaA

Monday, July 6, 2020

"The Evening Light," Roger Illsley, Hans Ostrom

A mellow love song featuring Roger Illsley (singing; guitar) and Hans Ostrom (thumping on the Chickering piano), and a video by Roger set in lovely Santa Rosa, California. Roger and I wrote the lyrics. 

Sunday, July 5, 2020

From a Diary of the Plague Year (16)


And so it came to pass
That in the midst of plague,
The plague of white supremacy
Again rose to kill. A tide
Of no: no-more swelled
And swamped the shore.
We hope this won’t turn out
As it has before, waters
Retreating, the chalk beach
Bright white again.


Hans Ostrom
June 2020

Saturday, July 4, 2020

"On Entering the Sea," by Nizar Qabbani

40 second video/recording of a poem by the renowned Syrian poet. 

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Md7beFPm01I

Translated by Lena Jayyusi, Sharif Elmusa, Jack Collum, from On Entering the Sea: The Erotic and Other Poetry of Nizar Qabbani, Interlink Books 1996 (buy this book!). Images from public domain sources. Video clips from Pixabay, Moshe Harosh, Andre Mouton, Matvey Doomchev, and Free Footage, by permission, and thank you. Recording is mine. Qabbani: 1923-1998, a renowned Syrian poet, writer, and publisher. He was born and grew up in Damascus. Later he lived in Geneva, Paris, and London, where he died. His numerous books include The Lover's Dictionary; To Beirut the Feminine, With My Love; Poems Inciting Anger; and Alphabet of Jasmine.