© Diane Mayr, all rights reserved. Photo by Carol M. Highsmith, courtesy Library of Congress.
January 17, 2016
Happy Haiga Day!
A short commentary!
© Diane Mayr, all rights reserved. Photo by Carol M. Highsmith, courtesy Library of Congress.
© Diane Mayr, all rights reserved. Photo by Carol M. Highsmith, courtesy Library of Congress.
January 14, 2016
Poetry Friday--Something New Every Day
I get lots of email from Pinterest inviting me to explore other peoples' boards on topics we share an interest in. One of those emails led me to poetry board, that led me to an Albuquerque Journal article from last spring. The article tells the story of a calligrapher, Kathy Chilton. Kathy would staple little poems to a telephone pole that stood outside her home. For Christmas 2014, Chilton's husband made her a poetry box. In the wooden box are poetry books and a pen and blank pieces of paper.
I'm sure you've all seen the news stories about the "Little Free Library" movement where people take a book and/or leave a book to share. Of course, like every good and generous movement that comes along, there are its detractors. Some municipalities have even taken to banning the free libraries due to "zoning laws" and what have you. I believe the good that comes of such an idea far surpasses any negativity. The Library of Congress awarded Little Free Library its Literacy Award: Best Practices 2015, for "outstanding work in the field of literacy." So there, you naysayers!
We can hope that the poetry box idea grows, too! So many avenues for people to explore!
Courtesy Wikimedia Commons.
It's funny how related things suddenly seem to find their way into our consciousness at the same moment. The article above I found on the same day as I found a quote by William Butler Yeats, which "spoke" to me. Inspired by the poetry box and the quote, I wrote this:
© Diane Mayr, all rights reserved.
I recommend that you now head down south where Keri Recommends is hosting this week's Round-Up!
"It’s amazing to me how many people have left poetry in the box," she says. "There is something new every day."Chilton, and her husband, are on a mission to share poetry and her neighbors are responding!
I'm sure you've all seen the news stories about the "Little Free Library" movement where people take a book and/or leave a book to share. Of course, like every good and generous movement that comes along, there are its detractors. Some municipalities have even taken to banning the free libraries due to "zoning laws" and what have you. I believe the good that comes of such an idea far surpasses any negativity. The Library of Congress awarded Little Free Library its Literacy Award: Best Practices 2015, for "outstanding work in the field of literacy." So there, you naysayers!
We can hope that the poetry box idea grows, too! So many avenues for people to explore!
It's funny how related things suddenly seem to find their way into our consciousness at the same moment. The article above I found on the same day as I found a quote by William Butler Yeats, which "spoke" to me. Inspired by the poetry box and the quote, I wrote this:
A Perfectly Made Box
A poem makes a sound when it is finished like the click of the lid of a perfectly made box. William Butler Yeats
Perfectly aligned hinges
do not bind.
Its finish is oiled
and polished.
Its scent is reminiscent
of a forest.
It wears the label "art."
It is only when a box
is well used
and showing signs
of wear that
the crisp metallic click
reminds us of
the passion in its making.
© Diane Mayr, all rights reserved.
I recommend that you now head down south where Keri Recommends is hosting this week's Round-Up!
January 12, 2016
January 10, 2016
Happy Haiga Day!
A short poem for today in memory of Charlie who flew away much too soon.
© Diane Mayr, all rights reserved. Woodcut by Hiroshige.
© Diane Mayr, all rights reserved. Woodcut by Hiroshige.
January 7, 2016
Poetry Friday--Winter Swap Delight!
This year my swap partner in the Winter Poem Swap, organized by Tabatha Yeatts, was Robyn Hood Black. Tabatha sent along a prompt to give the swappers inspiration. It is a painting by Claude Monet, "Le train dans la neige" ("Train in the Snow") painted in 1875.
Robyn wrote a lovely ekphrastic haiku:
© Robyn Hood Black, all rights reserved.
Robyn also explained her poem's origins,
She then proceeded to tell me about Bill Bryson's book, At Home: A Short History of Private Life, and Bryson's writing about how iron, and then the process of making steel, basically changed lives in the mid-nineteenth century.
The haiku, although seemingly short, incorporated a whole lot of learning and thought! A difficult task, masterfully done!
To encourage me to explore At Home, Robyn sent me a copy of the book, and a handcrafted bookmark to keep my place! If you don't already know about Robyn's Etsy shop, artsyletters, click here and prepare to be wowed!
Many, many thanks to Robyn Hood Black for the gifts and poem that so perfectly fit me! (The wings are a nod to my Sketchbook Project angels.)
Tabatha Yeatts, whom I mentioned above, is also this week's Poetry Friday Round-Up host!
I'm traveling today, so I may not get to your comments in a timely manner, I apologize ahead of time.
Robyn wrote a lovely ekphrastic haiku:
Robyn also explained her poem's origins,
The bare branches on the right made me think of cross-hatching, and I started wondered about what tracks from wee creatures might be cross-hatched under the snow as well...That got me thinking about how those little animals are still moving themselves around, pretty much the same was they have for thousands of years, while the locomotive depicted in the scene helped lead humanity into a new phase of the Industrial Revolution.
She then proceeded to tell me about Bill Bryson's book, At Home: A Short History of Private Life, and Bryson's writing about how iron, and then the process of making steel, basically changed lives in the mid-nineteenth century.
The haiku, although seemingly short, incorporated a whole lot of learning and thought! A difficult task, masterfully done!
To encourage me to explore At Home, Robyn sent me a copy of the book, and a handcrafted bookmark to keep my place! If you don't already know about Robyn's Etsy shop, artsyletters, click here and prepare to be wowed!
Many, many thanks to Robyn Hood Black for the gifts and poem that so perfectly fit me! (The wings are a nod to my Sketchbook Project angels.)
Tabatha Yeatts, whom I mentioned above, is also this week's Poetry Friday Round-Up host!
I'm traveling today, so I may not get to your comments in a timely manner, I apologize ahead of time.
January 5, 2016
January 3, 2016
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