Hello and Happy Poetry Friday! Be sure to visit Amy at The Poem Farm for Roundup.
This has been a big week! After weeks of reading and discussing and poem-shuffling, Charles and I made our final selections for our forthcoming anthology The Periodic Table of Poetry! It's a bittersweet thing, because while the YES emails are so happy and celebratory, it's hard to say NO to so many wonderful poems written by wonderful poets! Whatever email you got from us, we hope you know how much we appreciate you sharing your poetry with us. 💗
Congratulations to all the ALAYMA winners! I always love watching the live-stream, and this year was no exception. I keep my library request window open during the broadcast so I can order the books I missed right away.
If you write or read historical fiction, please check out the Tuesday 2-Minute Writing Tip 24: The Art of Informed Imagination. I talk about gaps in research, and how to fill them in!
This week's ArtSpeak: WOMEN features a piece by the third artist on the Harper's Bazaar list: Swedish artist and mystic Hilma af Klint. I love this piece. And I've been reading A LOT of Barbara Crooker poems lately, so no wonder this one has veered into the adult space. Thanks so much for reading!
Someday You Will Become a Swan
Didn’t I tell you?No, because no one can
fathom the pond: peaceful,
yes. But all that endless
circling!
And feathers? You can't keep
them clean. It takes at least five
lifetimes to learn how to be
content
and another to understand
you're not beautiful
because everyone looks at you—
You only become beautiful
when you look at yourself
in waters muddy or sparkling,
rippled or still
and decide you love all of it:
the beauty and the mess,
the light and the dark,
the now
and everything
that brought you here.
- Irene Latham
I love watching the YMA stream. It's so exciting. I have lots of new titles for my reading list. Thank you for Tuesday's tip. I love hearing from you with something I can practice in writing.
ReplyDeleteBecoming a swan...such a process...so valuable the experience of aging and becoming and valuing. It makes me grateful for the beautiful mess to look through. So much has brought me, and all of us, here.
I especially love that third stanza, Irene, and the lines "You only become beautiful when you look at yourself." Thanks for all you give to the world of poetry.
ReplyDeleteYou only become beautiful when you look at yourself... and decide you love ALL OF IT.
ReplyDeleteOof. Wow. What a beautiful, complex thought, and I love the idea of putting it in a swan's narrative - the birds we imagine as always and all phases beautiful and full of grace. This is lovely.
"the beauty and the mess..." I love that line. Irene, congratulations on making your selections for the new anthology. Can't wait till it comes out! Doida
ReplyDeleteYes, it is "the now and everything that brought you here" that makes us beautiful. The light and the dark. Lovely. Really enjoyed hearing about the informed imagination this week, Irene, and hearing a peek at how your story came together. More please!
ReplyDeleteThank you for the Tuesday Tips. I'm enjoying them! I love watching swans. The third stanza in your poem is my favorite!
ReplyDelete"Everything/that brought you here." Ah, that sounds just right, Irene. Thanks for the lovely poem. I struggle with my feathers lately, having to put on all this winter outer wear.
ReplyDeleteGosh, this is gorgeous. The deciding to love all of it. Yes, yes, yes....
ReplyDelete