Thursday, September 28, 2017

National Poetry Day

Today, September 28, is National Poetry Day. I urge you to read a little poetry, perhaps pick up a collection or two. I believed that I hated poetry when I was in Junior High and High School, but that was because I seldom found any that really engaged my imagination. These days I spend a little time every week reading poetry. I find it enhances my life.

Most of what I read would be called "speculative poetry," which generally means that it involves concepts and ideas from literary fields such as science fiction, fantasy, and horror. However, my personal favorite poet is Dylan Thomas, who I've mentioned on this blog many times before. While not specifically "speculative," Thomas's poetry has a certain surreal element to it that I find very lovely and thought provoking.

If you'd like to know what I recommend in the field of poetry, here is a link to my poetry shelf on Goodreads. You can see what I've read and how I rated it.

Although I don't consider myself much of a poet, I do try my hand at the form on occasion. Here's one of mine, the only one I've ever written about my writing "muse." It was originally published in The Pedestal Magazine.


GAUNT

As autumn shadows
evolve into winter nights,
hunger comes sniffing.

Gaunt, the gray wolf has grown.
With yellow eyes.
Her belly snarls a wild music of want,
to match the growl in her throat.

In the spring she fed well
from the hunt.
Her teeth left the green grass
dappled with red.

But summer came warm
and did not warm her.
Heat drove the hunted to ground.
Sickness claimed her pack.

On a hushed and lorn eve,
in a desperate famine,
through cold black woods
she came weak to my fire.

I threw her the carcass
of my feast,
and she became my muse.
In no way domesticated.

With strength returned, she hunted.
Spurning the tame food I offered,
she left me the feathers
of some gutted prey.

Now on occasion she visits.
At edge of fire and shadow,
only her eyes glow.
We judge each other warily.

We will be friends,
a pack of two.
Or one will kill the other.

23 comments:

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Very good! Yes, survival comes first, and you would both do what it took to survive.
I read three poems today!

Charles Gramlich said...

Alex, excellent. I think I only read one so far!

Angie said...

Nice. A bit creepy, or maybe stark? Cold, lonely, but some wary companionship? Hard to say, which is why we have poetry. Good stuff.

Angie

Oscar Case said...

Hats off to the poetry lovers of the world. I would never have known it was National Poetry Day. Thanks for the post and poem, Charles.

Scotty Henderson said...

Very nice Charles. I enjoy poetry that tells a little story. Very realistic too.

Charles Gramlich said...

Angie, thank. I believe it's one of my better ones. certainly my biggest sale to date.

Oscar, I think about every day is national something or other

Scotty, thank. Much appreciated. Glad you stopped by

the walking man said...

I like the concluding verse best--reminiscent of the scorpion who got the frog to give him a ride across the river. when the needs are mutual there is help but when recovery happens there is only the need of the strongest and most wary.

Charles Gramlich said...

Mark, sort of like a marriage! :)

Cloudia said...

VERY Charles and revealing about your muse and views. Loved this. Powerful with a punch final line

Charles Gramlich said...

Cloudia, thankee. Glad you enjoyed

A Cuban In London said...

And I only found out today, thinking that it was next week. :-) It's usually the first week in October. Why did they change it? :-)

Greetings from London.

Charles Gramlich said...

A Cuban, I don't know. Not even sure who makes those kinds of decisions

David Cranmer said...

You, friend, are a poet.

Charles Gramlich said...

David, thanks, man

Blogoratti said...

Wonderful and a delight to read. Greetings!

Charles Gramlich said...

BLogoratti, Thanks!

^.^ said...

Me know much about hunting and eating and bein afraid of who is goin get who first, friend G ... Much love, cat.

Charles Gramlich said...

Cat, always a concern. :)

Prashant C. Trikannad said...

Loved it, Charles. A wonderful poetic tale.

pattinase (abbott) said...

I started out writing poetry but found it to me too narrative. Very nice one, Charles.

Shadow said...

Superb! The wheels of nature turning, turning, turning, one day giving, then taking, making wary allies of friend and foe, to reach a point of respectful co-existence, I love it!

UplayOnline said...

Wonderful and a delight to read. Greetings!


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Charles Gramlich said...

Prashant, glad you enjoyed!

Patti, I still do some poetry, although not a lot

Shadow, I appreciate that.

Roth, thanks