Kemah On Galveston Bay — Image by kenne
— Teddy Roosevelt
Amanda Gorman — Source: Cultured Magazine
Congratulations to Amanda Gorman, the National Youth Poet Laureate of the United States,
who will deliver a poem at the presidential inauguration on January 20th.
— kenne
There’s a poem in this place—
a poem in America
a poet in every American
who rewrites this nation, who tells
a story worthy of being told on this minnow of an earth
to breathe hope into a palimpsest of time—
a poet in every American
who sees that our poem penned
doesn’t mean our poem’s end.
— from In This Place (An American Lyric) by Amanda Gorman
Male Cardinal in Sabino Canyon, An Early Sign of Spring — Images by kenne
The Freeman
A VAGABOND between the East and West,
Careless I greet the scourging and the rod;
I fear no terror any man may bring,
Nor any god.
The clankless chains that bound me I have rent,
No more a slave to Hope I cringe or cry;
Captives to Fate men rear their prison walls,
But free am I.
I tread where arrows press upon my path,
I smile to see the danger and the dart;
My breast is bared to meet the slings of Hate,
But not my heart.
I face the thunder and I face the rain,
I lift my head, defiance far I fling, —
My feet are set, I face the autumn as
I face the spring.
Around me on the battlefields of life,
I see men fight and fail and crouch in prayer;
Aloft I stand unfettered, for I know
The freedom of despair.
Sandhill Cranes At Whitewater Drew In Southeast Arizona — Images by kenne
(Click On An Image To See In A Slideshow Format)
Nogales, Arizona — Image by kenne
American Robin — Image by kenne
Who killed Cock Robin?
I, said the Sparrow,
with my bow and arrow,
I killed Cock Robin.
Who saw him die?
I, said the Magpie,
with my little teeny eye,
I saw him die.
Who caught his blood?
I, said the Duck,
it was just my luck,
I caught his blood.
Who’ll make the shroud?
I, said the Beetle,
with my thread and needle,
I’ll make the shroud.
Who’ll dig his grave?
I, said the pheasant,
it wasn’t very pleasant,
I’ll dig his grave.
Who’ll be the parson?
I, said the Rook,
with my little book,
I’ll be the parson.
Who’ll be the clerk?
I, said the Lark,
if it’s not in the dark,
I’ll be the clerk.
Who’ll carry the link?
I, said the Linnet,
I’ll fetch it in a minute,
I’ll carry the link.
Who’ll be chief mourner?
I, said the Dove,
I mourn for my love,
I’ll be chief mourner.
Who’ll carry the coffin?
I, said the Kite,
if it’s not through the night,
I’ll carry the coffin.
Who’ll bear the pall?
I, said the Crow,
with the cock and the bow,
I’ll bear the pall.
Who’ll sing a psalm?
I, said the Thrush,
as she sat on a bush,
I’ll sing a psalm.
Who’ll toll the bell?
I, said the Bull,
because I can pull,
I’ll toll the bell.
All the birds of the air
fell a-sighing and a-sobbing,
when they heard the bell toll
for poor Cock Robin.
— English Nursery Rhyme
Female Cardinal — Image by kenne
January Sunrise, Tanuri Ridge — Image by kenne
What might have been and what has been
Point to one end, which is always present.
— from Four Quartets by T. S. Eliot
“Empty Pot, Empty Bottle” — Dos XX Amber Still Life by kenne
A Word About Transitions
Moreover is not a good way to start a poem
though many begin somewhere in the middle.
Secondly does not belong
at the opening of your second stanza.
Furthermore is to be avoided
no matter how long the poem.
Aforementioned is rarely found
in poems at all, and for good reason.
Most steer clear of notwithstanding,
and the same goes for
nevertheless, however,
as a consequence, in any event,
subsequently,
and as we have seen in the previous chapters.
The appearance of finally
in your final stanza will be of no help.
All of which suggests (another no-no)
that poems don’t need to tell us where we are
or what is soon to come.
For example, the white bowl of lemons
on a table by a window
can go anywhere all by itself
and, in conclusion, so can
seven elephants standing in the rain.
— Billy Collins
Canyonlands National Park — Image by kenne
— from A Voice Crying In The Wilderness by Edward Abbey
Study — Image by kenne
A Female Phainopepla On a Chilly, Windy Morning In Sabino Canyon — Image by kenne
Phainopepla In Sabino Canyon — Image by kenne
— kenne
Desert Foggy Morning (January 14, 2015) Image by kenne
— From ‘Morning’ by Federico Garcia Lorca
December 29, 2020 Full Moon with Effects — Images by kenne
