Poets’ Weather: James Dickey and Mark Twain

Byriehlifegrace April 14, 2008

photo by www.moonraker.com

A poet is someone who stands outside in the rain hoping to be struck by lightning.
—James Dickey

From the length of the bibligraphy of his poetic works, we can surmise that Mr. Dickey was frequently struck by metaphoric lightning.

Mark Twain gives us this advice: “It is best to read the weather forecast before praying for rain.”

Whilst strictly not a poet, Mr. Twain’s pithy epigrams have a distinctive, and poetic flavor, no?

“Appetite” for My Mother, Ruth Evelyn Johnston Thompson

Byriehlifegrace May 1, 2007May 16, 2008

Mother died at 90 last May Day. It seems like an ocean of time and then, hardly any time at all. You can read more about my mother on the “Sightlines” portion of this site on the Sweet Little Dove page including: * Ruth Thompson Life Story * Mother’s Memorial Service And the poems: *Under…

Riehlife Contemplation Series…and Lights Out for Earth Hour

Byriehlifegrace March 29, 2008March 29, 2008

I’ve been harvesting my journals this week. One of the fruits of my harvest is this series of Riehlife contemplations which I hope you’ll enjoy and use: –for cultivating your own contemplations. –for starting conversations with loved ones and friends. –for prompting your writing. What are your foul weather blue sky gifts? What does your…

Artaud: Poetry layer beneath the poetry

Byriehlifegrace April 6, 2008May 16, 2008

“Beneath the poetry of the texts, there is the actual poetry, without form and without text.” –Antonin Artaud, poet, essayist, playwright, actor & director

Triptych: Jeweled Bones, Left Panel: Tree with No Soil Under It

Byriehlifegrace May 10, 2007May 16, 2008

I fingered the treasures in my pocket as I strolled to the tree that hovered over the creek. It had no soil under it. Roots dangled through the air, then plunged straight and deep into rushing water. Fish swam between roots. With soil between roots the tree had sheltered a rabbit burrow, not swimming fish….

WALKING ON WATER–The pleasures of swimming as if your body were a boat exploring new territory

Byriehlifegrace June 21, 2007June 21, 2007

“They damned a river and called it a lake,” she said. So Austin, Texas and Alton, Illinois have this in common. Lake Merritt in Oakland and Clear Lake in Northern California are really estuaries…with inflows and outflows. A lake by any other name swims as sweet. A great pleasure in my life is the slow…

Prayer: In These Days of Fire, by John and Sarah Gibb Millspaugh

Byriehlifegrace November 21, 2007December 15, 2007

“Red Sun,” photo by Rev. John Millspaugh This prayer was written on October 24, 2007, by Rev. John Gibb Millspaugh, minister of Tapestry, a Unitarian Universalist (UU) Congregation in Mission Viejo, California, and Rev. Sarah Gibb Millspaugh, Adult Programs Director for the Unitarian Universalist Association. The Santiago fire, which had burned almost 20,000 acres that…

One Comment

Lulu says:

April 15, 2008 at 7:30 am

Thanks for checking out my blog. I’m a pretty young writer, and have much to learn. Your comments are appreciated!

I absolutely love that James Dickey quote.

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