Reading/video of short poem by Langston Hughes:
Tuesday, November 10, 2020
Saturday, November 7, 2020
Meet the Snake
The temperature
of wherever I
am becomes my
mood. My gold
eyes come from
Earth's first fires.
I taste air with
my tongue,
unhinge my jaws,
and swallow
something to
kill hunger.
Something live.
It dies inside
me squirming.
I coil in cold,
lengthen in
heat, walk
with my belly,
always watching
for hawks. I'm
nothing like you
think I am. I'm
not your Garden
Tempter: that's
your dream. I
keep a pale blue
gem in the middle
of my mind.
hans ostrom 2020
Moon Street
The Swedes call it mångata:
Moon Street. It's the reflection
of a low hanging moon
on lake or sea, crafting illusion
of avenue narrowing to a point
out there, with dark water
as unlit pavement on both
sides. Mind may take you
on a stroll down Moon Street--
you'll be the only traffic.
Yes, you're walking slow
down the avenue on solid
light, going to talk to a cool
sphere, with its round, humorous
face and droll attitude.
Moon Street is a good location.
hans ostrom 2020
Transformation: Party Guest
One day I turned into a statue.
It happened at a small outdoor party.
As usual, people were either ignoring
me or shooting talk at me. I was
about to say thanks to the hosts
and leave when I realized
my body had shifted to become
gray speckled stone. Granite man.
I was inflexibly pleased.
I had not a single desire, not
even the desire to have no
desires. By the time I turned
back into a proper person,
the party had ended, the hosts
had sold the house and left
town, and the city's climate
had changed. It was time for me
to be getting back home.
hans ostrom 2020
Friday, November 6, 2020
"Peacock Display," by David Wagoner
A fine poem by David Wagoner, widely acclaimed poet and former professor of creative writing at the University of Washington. Reading/video:
Wednesday, November 4, 2020
"Card Game," by A.D. Hope
Short poem by Australian poet A.D. Hope, reading/video:
https://www.youtube.com/c/langstonify/videos?view_as=subscriber
Tuesday, November 3, 2020
"Little Prayer," by Danez Smith
Reading/video of short poem by Danez Smith, a poet from St. Paul. Smith's books include Homie and Don't Call Us Dead: check 'em out!
"I Many Times Thought Peace Had Come," by Emily Dickinson
Reading/video of a short poem, #912, by Dickinson, and a happy [let us hope] voting day to you:
"Magpies," by Judith Wright
I had a long conversation with a magpie when I was about 5 years old. Very cordial. A reading/video of a poem by the acclaimed Australian poet Judith Wright:
Monday, November 2, 2020
"Sensuality," by Kenneth Slessor
Reading/video of a poem by Australian poet Kenneth Slessor (1901-1977):
Sunday, November 1, 2020
"Young and Old," by Charles Kingsley
Reading/video of a poem by the Victorian Anglican priest, progressive reformer, novelist, and poet Charles Kingsley. The poem is the source, or a source, of the old saying "every dog has its day."
Thursday, October 29, 2020
"Here and Hereafter," by Walter Everette Hawkins
A poem from African American Poetry: 250 Years of Struggle and Song, edited by Kevin Young (2020):
reading/video:
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