Today is the final post in my Valerie Worth summer series. Thanks so much for reading! It's been such fun to share her work with all of you. We'll revisit Valerie with a "fall things" post later in the year, but for now I want to focus on some poems that I found unusual in subject matter, which automatically made them stand out. (Good tip for we who like to write poetry... go for the weird!)
amoeba
Never wondering
What shape to take,
But with a
Slow shrug
Making a start
In any direction,
And then following,
Flowing wholeheartedly
Into the fluid
Mold of the moment.
- Valerie Worth
What to say about amoeba? What an inspiring way to live: "Flowing wholeheartedly/ Into the fluid/ Mold of the moment."
ragsStuffed away into
An old pillowcase
Dragged forth again
In crumpled clods,
Torn to wash windows
Or tie up tomato plants,
Thrown out at last--
Poor sad gray wads
That once were faithful
Flannel pajamas,
Favorite pink-
Flowered underpants.
- Valerie Worth
As a seamstress, I can attest to the glory and usefulness of rags, otherwise known as "scraps" or a quilter's stash"... love me some rags. :)
telephone poles
Close by,
They're stolid
Stumps, sweating
Black creosote,
Scarred with
Bolts and tin
Numbers, clumsy
Old dolts
Of lumber;
But wandering
Away, they
Lean into
The cloud's
Drift, the
Swallow's slant,
The graceful
Influence of
Grass; and
Lifting up
Their long
Electric lines,
They hand
Them on
And on, in
Gestures of
Exquisite
Gossamer.
- Valerie Worth
Most people would say telephone poles are an eyesore, but no, Valerie worth gives them "Exquisite/ Gossamer." I will never look at another telephone pole without thinking of that bit of unexpected wonder.
soap bubble
The soap bubble's
Great soft sphere
Bends out of shape
On the air,
Leans, round again,
Rises, shivering, heavy,
A planet revolving
Hollow and clear,
Mapped with
Rainbows, streaming,
Curled: seeming
A world too splendid
To snap, dribble,
And disappear.
- Valerie Worth
How great is "Mapped with/ Rainbows" ?? Perfect!
*All photos today courtesy of Wikimedia Commons. Do YOU have any poems about odd things? Tell me!
They just get better and better, don't they? Love those 'poor sad, gray wads' and 'clumsy old dolts of lumber'. I will miss your posts, Irene, so I'd better pull out my Worth books! All my relatives had a 'rag bag' certainly, and I guess I have some, old t-shirts, & maybe there's a poem in there, too! Thank you for this summer of 'small poems'.
ReplyDeleteYes, Mapped with/ Rainbows" IS perfect! I love her small poems!
ReplyDeleteNow you've made me a Valerie Worth fan, Irene. "Rags" is my favourite among your poetry offering today. So moving.
ReplyDeleteI've so enjoyed this series -- each poem brings new amazement and wows. I never thought I'd like a poem about an amoeba. She's too brilliant!
ReplyDeleteThese are all so beautiful. I just read a friend's bubble poem, and it strikes me how we can all see one thing in completely different ways. It's a testament to our filters, our perspectives, and our truths. Thanks so much for sharing Valerie's beautiful poetry!
ReplyDeleteAnother wonderful post of Worth's poems! I loved the rag poem the best. Pulling out an old rag often brings back a flood of memories of what that rag used to be.
ReplyDeleteSo glad you're a Valerie Worth fan, too! My pb copy of All the Small Poems is looking pretty raggedy.
ReplyDeleteWhich goes to prove- a clever wordsmith can take something odd or ordinary and turn it to magic. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteI've enjoyed all these Valerie Worth you've shared. Wonderful series of posts.
ReplyDeleteI have very much enjoyed your Valerie Worth series. She is really someone who looks at what's there, rather than looking past things as most of us so often do. Really wonderful stuff.
ReplyDelete