Robert Lowell letters on hold

I was able to get a copy of The Letters of Robert Lowell on hold at the library. They only had one copy in the Mid-Continent system and it was out. I also looked for the newer release, Wild Perfection: Selected Letters of James Wright. I believe this has only been out about a month and they don't as of yet have it. I am anxious to read both of these books in hopes of gaining some greater insight into their individual poetic theory. I know that Robert Bly has had a great deal of influence on Wright - particularly in his latter years.

I worked on two poems yesterday. One was completely new, the other was something I first wrote earlier this year at a Woodbine, Iowa writing weekend workshop. I'm not 100% satisfied with either of them, but overall I believe yesterdays work was successful. It is important to remember that such progress is often incremental and to keep this fact in focus so as not to become discouraged. Lately, discouragement has been battle I fight.

One thing I need to do is broaden my subject matter. So a real brainstorm is in order or I need to look for some writing idea prompts. At times I have exchanged such prompts with other writers from time to time but I haven't done this for a while.

String Quartet

Steps into the wind
Tiptoes
Shuffles
Strung across a bridge
Lively on a wire
An archetype
Plucked out of veneer

SPEAK OUT ON IRAQ!

Support Cindy Sheehan!

MoveOn is taking out an ad in President Bush's local newspaper in support of Cindy Sheehan, the mother of a soldier killed in Iraq who is camped outside Bush's ranch in Texas asking for a meeting with the president.

They'll publish the number of signers and the best comments in a full two-page spread in the newspaper nearest to Crawford (The Waco Tribune Herald) while Cindy holds her vigil.

Sign and spread the word before the 3:00 PM Friday print deadline?

http://political.moveon.org/meetwithcindy/

Cindy Sheehan

Airing Out The Language

Turbulence
Leaves me uncomfortable
Holding tidy verse in my hands.

You will gawk at me-
Out of place. I want

To twist the words
On the page
Wrap some around me
Pull the syllables apart
And hide between them.
Shock you a little bit
So you don't see me.

Across the Poetry Blogisphere

The Beached Fiance by Christine Hamm is so typically fantastic! If you like her work you'll love it. If you don't... it's a pity.

IVY is back! With Notes from the Castle.

Eileen is having a Summer Pleasure contest. Why I'm telling everyone about it, I don't know. That only increases my competition.

James gives us Nagasaki - thanks for giving us pause.

Gila Monster's big announcement.

A thought

"Poetry is man's rebellion against being what he is." ~James Branch Cabell

And what would that be, that man is, which causes such rebellious discourse? I agree with Cabell in principal that poetry wants to rebell. It wants desperately NOT to conform because that is too mundane. Is it that man has the capacity to always be unsettled no matter what his plight? The hungry want food, the King wants more territory.

Is poetry simply a more refined version of an animal instinct?

Angry Sky

Angry Sky
Originally uploaded by stickpoet.

I looked out last night and saw the sky as an angry poet swelling up with disdain.