Poem of the Day: "My 71st Year" by Walt Whitman

"My 71st Year" by Walt Whitman (pictured) is the Songs of Eretz Poem of the Day and the offering from Poets.org's Poem-A-Day for May 31, 2014.  The poem is in the public domain and therefore legally reprinted here.  It was first published in Century Illustrated Monthly Magazine in 1889.  Reviews of Whitman's poetry as well as essays on his approach to poetry have appeared many times in the Poetry Review.  A brief biography of his interesting life may be found here:  http://www.poets.org/poetsorg/poet/walt-whitman?utm_source=PAD%3A%20To%20You%20by%20Walt%20Whitman&utm_campaign=poemaday_122513&utm_medium=email.

My 71st Year

Walt Whitman

After surmounting threescore and ten,


With all their chances, changes, losses, sorrows,


My parents’ deaths, the vagaries of my life, the many tearing

passions of me, the war of ‘63 and ‘4,


As some old broken soldier, after a long, hot, wearying march, or

as haply after battle,


At twilight, hobbling, answering yet to company roll-call, Here, with vital voice,


Reporting yet, saluting yet the Officer over all.

Whitman's reference to his age as "threescore and ten" may be a nod to his hero, Abraham Lincoln, who used similar language in his famous Gettysburg Address.  This is further supported by his reference to the Civil War, "the war of [18]'63 and '4."  Tired, old, yet still "vital," Whitman proudly proclaims that he is "Here," if not to the people of the world that may have forgotten and dismissed an old man, but to God, "the Officer over all."

Poem of the Day: "If those I loved were lost" by Emily Dickinson

"If those I loved were lost" by Emily Dickinson is the Songs of Eretz Poem of the Day for May 30, 2014, with apologies from the editor for the tardy posting.  The poem is in the public domain and therefore legally reprinted here.  Dickinson's work has appeared many times in the Poetry Review; most recently here:  http://eretzsongs.blogspot.com/2013/12/review-of-its-all-i-have-to-bring-today.html, where may be found a brief biography, and here:  http://eretzsongs.blogspot.com/2014/05/poem-of-day-there-is-another-sky-by.html.

If those I loved were lost
Emily Dickinson

If those I loved were lost

The Crier's voice would tell me --

If those I loved were found

The bells of Ghent would ring --

Did those I loved repose

The Daisy would impel me.

Philip -- when bewildered

Bore his riddle in!

Ah, the enigmatic Emily Dickinson!  The poem is arranged in two quatrains with three feet per line.  The end-words of the final stanza have assonance with, consonance with, or, in the case of the second line, exactly match the end-words of the first.  This causes the lines of the second stanza to fall kindly upon the ear and to produce the exquisite feeling evoked by the sound of a chord just about to be resolved.  The meaning of the poem, however, is a bit of a mystery.  Nevertheless, I offer the following.

The reference to the "bells of Ghent" in the first stanza most likely refers to the Belfry tower in Ghent (pictured) which was used as a watch tower, stronghold, treasure storage facility, and symbol of power.  One of the architects of the tower was Filips (Philip) van Beergine, to whom reference may have been made in the second stanza.  For reference to this and additional information, see http://www.trabel.com/gent/gent-belfry.htm.  "The Crier" probably refers to the village Crier, or perhaps refers to the literal act of shedding tears over loved ones lost.  "The Daisy" may refer to the child's game "she loves me; she loves me not," or, perhaps, given the capital "D" and equal number of letters, may be code for the "Devil."

The word "lost" in the first line likely means lost in the religious sense--a lost soul.  If those Emily loved were lost souls, news of their sins would eventually become common knowledge around town, perhaps announced by the village Crier.  However, if those Emily loved were "found" read "saved" in the religious sense, then their fine example would become known to all the world, as symbolized by the ringing of the bells in Ghent.

The second stanza is more enigmatic.  "Repose" may mean to be in a state of complacency or to be in danger of falling into sin.  In this case, Emily's fear of the Devil would move her to act to save her loved ones from his evil grasp.  The last two lines, I admit, baffle me, but may mean that a man in danger of sinning or "bewildered" might be wise to look "in" or "inward."  However, I am not sure. 

Poem of the Day: "Still I Rise" by Maya Angelou

"Still I Rise" by Maya Angelou is the Songs of Eretz Poem of the Day and the offering from Poets.org's Poem-A-Day for May 29, 2014, one day after the poet's death.  A link to the poem may be found here:  http://www.poets.org/poetsorg/poem/still-i-rise?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Poem-a-Day++May+29+2014&utm_content=Poem-a-Day++May+29+2014+CID_86c07fd0f0c03db6470aca28962499b7&utm_source=Email%20marketing%20software&utm_term=Still%20I%20Rise.  "Still I Rise" first appeared in And Still I Rise (1978).  An elegy to Maya Angelou may be found here:  http://eretzsongs.blogspot.com/2014/05/maya-angelou-phenomenal-woman.html.  Biographical information about the poet may be found here:  http://eretzsongs.blogspot.com/2014/05/poem-of-day-phenomenal-woman-by-maya.html.

"Still I Rise" is organized as a ballad with end-rhymes every other line and a refrain of some variation on "I rise."  The "you" in the poem represents all of the bigots whom she proved wrong by her very existence.  The poem deliciously drips the confidence and swagger for which the poet was known.

Maya Angelou: A Phenomenal Woman

Editor's Note:  In lieu of a poetry review for May 28, 2014, I offer this elegy to the legendary Maya Angelou who died today at the age of eighty-six.  A poem of hers was featured in the Poetry Review two weeks ago. Reference to it as well as biographical information may be found here:  http://eretzsongs.blogspot.com/2014/05/poem-of-day-phenomenal-woman-by-maya.html.

Maya Angelou:  A Phenomenal Woman

by Steven Wittenberg Gordon, MD

A streetcar swept down from heaven today

To carry our beloved Maya away

Conducted by Malcolm arm-in-arm with King

With Rosa in a front seat quietly sitting

Next to Gerald as is quite fitting.

What wonders will her indomitable spirit reach!

What lessons will she the angels teach

Now that she is free from toil and pain--

At liberty to travel the celestial plane!

Our earthly loss is heaven’s gain.

A phenomenal woman and blessing bringer,

Professor, poet, actress, singer,

Composer, dancer, voice of the oppressed.

We, her children, are forever blessed

For having known her.  In God’s arms may she rest.

Poem of the Day: "Digging" by Seamus Heaney

"Digging" by Seamus Heaney is the Songs of Eretz Poem of the Day for May 27, 2014.  A link to the poem, including an audio recording by the poet, may be found here:  http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/177017.  "Digging" first appeared in Death of a Naturalist (1966).  Mr. Heaney's work has been examined multiple times in the Poetry Review, most recently on March 17, 2014 which includes a brief biography and references http://eretzsongs.blogspot.com/2014/03/poem-of-day-lovers-on-aran-by-seamus.html.

"Digging" is written from the POV of Heaney observing his father at work in the potato fields and reminiscing about his father's father at work in the peat bogs.  Only the first two stanzas have a distinct rhyme scheme, as though the poet was about to compose a rhyming poem but then was distracted by the activity of his father.

The third stanza has an enigmatic, perhaps fourth dimensional, moment when the poet describes his father as coming up "twenty years away."  Twenty years is about the length of a generation, so perhaps this reveals the poet's thoughts beginning to stray into the past toward the memory of his father's father.  Simultaneously, the reference to twenty years may represent a clairvoyant image of his father still laboring away in the future.

The final stanza repeats the first ten words of the opening stanza in a kind of chorus and brings the poet out of his reverie.  With the memory of his father's and grandfather's physical expressions of rhythm fading, the poet concludes that he will follow in his father's footsteps only indirectly by the rhythmic use of his chosen tool, the pen.

A Memorial Day Poem: "The Grocery Bagger"

The Grocery Bagger

Steven Wittenberg Gordon, MD

“Happy Memorial Day,” he said

As he handed me my little flag.

“My shift has almost ended.

My whole day has been a drag.

I really cannot wait to leave,

Go home to family and friends.

We’ll drink and smoke and eat and rave

And party till the daylight ends.”

For sentiments so far misplaced

I stood and looked at him aghast

And moved two inches from his face

Then told him how I felt at last.

“Others fought and gave their lives

But you forgot their sacrifice.

Enjoy the freedom that you have.

Enjoy your unearned peace and ease.

I’m off to place my little flag

Beside my little brother’s grave.”

Poem of the Day: "To My Wife--With a Copy of My Poems" by Oscar Wilde

"To My Wife--With a Copy of My Poems" by Oscar Wilde is the Songs of Eretz Poem of the Day for May 25, 2014.  The poem is in the public domain and therefore legally reprinted here.

To My Wife--With a Copy of My Poems

Oscar Wilde

I can write no stately proem

As a prelude to my lay;

From a poet to a poem

I would dare to say.

For if of these fallen petals

One to you seem fair,

Love will waft it till it settles

On your hair.

And when wind and winter harden

All the loveless land,

It will whisper of the garden,
You will understand.

Oscar Wilde (1856 - 1900) (pictured) is best known as the author of The Picture of Dorian Gray and The Importance of Being Earnest.  Wilde's wit and witticisms made him a legend in his own time.  In the early 1890s, at the height of his fame, he was "the most sought after dinner guest in England."  Although he was married and fathered two sons, he was a notorious homosexual, and his affair with the son of a prominent aristocrat led to his imprisonment for indecency.  He died in poverty three years after serving his two-year prison sentence.  Reference to this and additional biographical information may be found here:  http://www.poetryfoundation.org/bio/oscar-wilde.  Reference to Wilde's time in prison may be found here:  http://www.mr-oscar-wilde.de/about/p/prison_years.htm.

"To My Wife" is organized as a kind of ballad with three feet per line (except for the last line of the second quatrain which has but two).  The first stanza serves as an introduction that seems to state that a proper introduction is not possible.

At first glance, the second stanza expresses a romantic sentiment.  However, the poet's poems or "fallen  petals" are described as only having the potential to reach his wife's hair.  Note, they do not have the power to penetrate her skull to reach her brain and thereby be appreciated.  It is only when, in the third stanza, that hard times befall his wife, that she will be able to understand the true meaning of her husband's poetry.  

Poem of the Day: "Life" by Edith Wharton

"Life" by Edith Wharton is the Songs of Eretz Poem of the Day and the offering from Poets.org's Poem-A-Day for May 24, 2014.  The poem is in the public domain and therefore legally reprinted here.  "Life" first appeared in Scribner's Magazine in 1894.

Life

Edith Wharton

Life, like a marble block, is given to all,

A blank, inchoate mass of years and days,

Whence one with ardent chisel swift essays

Some shape of strength or symmetry to call;

One shatters it in bits to mend a wall;

One in a craftier hand the chisel lays,

And one, to wake the mirth in Lesbia’s gaze,

Carves it apace in toys fantastical.

But least is he who, with enchanted eyes

Filled with high visions of fair shapes to be,

Muses which god he shall immortalize

In the proud Parian’s perpetuity,

Till twilight warns him from the punctual skies

That the night cometh wherein none shall see.

Edith Wharton (1862 - 1937) (pictured) was a member of New York City's high society and is perhaps best known for her novels, among them The Age of Innocence.  Reference to this and additional biographical information may be found here:  http://www.poetryfoundation.org/bio/edith-wharton.

"Life" is a traditional Italian sonnet.  The first stanza introduces the conceit of life as a marble block that is sculpted by each individual.  Some sculpt to complete mundane activities, such as mending walls. Others sculpt themselves in order to attract a mate, hence the reference to Lesbia, Catullus' fictional inconstant lover.  Reference to Catullus and Lesbia, including biographical information about the legendary Roman poet, has been made previously in Songs of Eretz and may be found here:  http://eretzsongs.blogspot.com/2014/01/review-of-marriage-daybook-by-nicole.html.

The final stanza warns against wasting one's time in the pursuit of wild, unattainable dreams, which she compares to fragile porcelain or Parian [ref:  http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/parian].  She further warns that time will inevitably overtake such individuals.

Poem of the Day: "Messy Room" by Shel Silverstein

"Messy Room" by Shel Silverstein is the Songs of Eretz Poem of the Day for May 23, 2014.  A link to the poem may be found here:  http://famouspoetsandpoems.com/poets/shel_silverstein/poems/14818.  Mr. Silverstein's poetry has been reviewed previously in Songs of Eretz.  A link to that review, including biographical information about the poet, may be found here:  http://eretzsongs.blogspot.com/2014/04/poem-of-day-where-sidewalk-ends-by-shel.html.

"Messy Room" begins with a single-line opening chorus, followed by an eleven-line lighthearted ballad, followed by a repetition of the chorus.  The poem ends with a three-line surprise tag.

My bedroom, study, and office are always pretty squared away--eight years in dormitories and five years in the military made sure of that--but I was reminded of my son the artist's bedroom.  I mean, the description was uncannily accurate!

Poem of the Day: "Another Poem on My Daughter’s Birthday" by Craig Morgan Teicher

"Another Poem on My Daughter’s Birthday" by Craig Morgan Teicher is the Songs of Eretz Poem of the Day and the offering from Poets.org's Poem-A-Day for May 22, 2014.  A link to the poem may be found here:  http://www.poets.org/poetsorg/poem/another-poem-my-daughter’s-birthday?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Poem-a-Day++May+22+2014&utm_content=Poem-a-Day++May+22+2014+CID_f6269dbac37b016e0064576684c1ab4b&utm_source=Email%20marketing%20software&utm_term=Another%20Poem%20on%20My%20Daughters%20Birthday.

Craig Morgan Teicher's poems have appeared in many prestigious serials.  He lives in Brooklyn.  Reference to this and additional biographical information may be found here:  http://www.poetryfoundation.org/bio/craig-morgan-teicher#poet.

"Another Poem" is arranged as four quatrains divided by a couplet.  The rhythm has a gentle lilt to it, not unlike that of a lullaby.  Many words in the poem begin with the letter "s," resulting in many a soft susurrus throughout the poem.  The theme is sentimental, but, speaking as the father of a little girl, entirely appropriate.

Poem of the Day: "A Girl" by Ezra Pound

"A Girl" by Ezra Pound is the Songs of Eretz Poem of the Day for May 21, 2014.  A link to the poem may be found here:  http://allpoetry.com/poem/8501947-A-Girl-by-Ezra-Pound.

Ezra Pound (1885 - 1972) (pictured) is considered by many critics and fellow poets to be the most important driving influence in the establishment and preservation of modernist poetry.  He was the founder of the Imagist and Vorticist movements.  As an American expatriate in London and Paris, Pound was instrumental in establishing the careers of many until then unknown but later, thanks to him, famous poets and literary figures, including James Joyce, T. S. Eliot, and Robert Frost.  He did have a dark side, however.  During World War II, living in Italy, he was sympathetic to the fascist regime and became an outspoken anti-Semite.  Charged with treason, Pound was arrested and imprisoned by American forces in 1943 and later committed to an insane asylum until Robert Frost won his release in 1958.  He lived out the remainder of his life quietly in Italy.  Reference to this and additional biographical information may be found here:  http://www.poetryfoundation.org/bio/ezra-pound.


"A Girl" is arranged in two cinquains.  The first is straight-forward enough if understood as a commentary by Daphne as she is being metamorphosed into a tree at the climax of the Greek myth of Daphne and Apollo.

The second stanza is a bit enigmatic, a characteristic for which Pound's poetry was known and often lamented by Pound scholars.  The first three lines appear to be straight-forward as the girl, now a tree but still for the time being sentient, notices the other trees, moss, and flowers as if for the first time.  In the fourth line, the tree/girl then derides Apollo, referring to him as "a child."  The poem ends with the tree/girl calling Apollo's pursuit of her a "folly" and Apollo a fool for all "the world" to see.

Poem of the Day: "Life is Fine" by Langston Hughes

"Life is Fine" by Langston Hughes is the Songs of Eretz Poem of the Day for May 20, 2014.  A link to the poem may be found here:  http://www.poets.org/poetsorg/poem/life-fine.

James Langston Hughes (1902 - 1967) (pictured) was known for his influence on the Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s.  He wrote eleven plays and several novels as well as a large body of poetry.  Additional biographical information may be found here:  http://www.poets.org/poetsorg/poet/langston-hughes.

"Life is Fine" is organized in three verses each beginning with a ballad-like quatrain that is followed by a chorus quatrain, that is followed by a second chorus singlet.  There is a Negro spiritual feel to the flow of the poem, as though the poem wants to be sung rather than recited.  The message is at once humorous and profound--that life may be a struggle and at times not seem worth living, but ultimately, life is indeed "fine."

Poem of the Day: "Sea and Rain: Lake Michigan" by Keith Taylor

"Sea and Rain: Lake Michigan" by Keith Taylor is the Songs of Eretz Poem of the Day and the offering from Poets.org's Poem-A-Day for May 19, 2014.  A link to the poem may be found here:  http://poets.org/poetsorg/poem/sea-and-rain-lake-michigan?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Poem-a-Day++May+19+2014&utm_content=Poem-a-Day++May+19+2014+CID_43006e3d2caa7f750e129f29f5a9bf25&utm_source=Email%20marketing%20software&utm_term=Sea%20and%20Rain%20Lake%20Michigan.

Keith Taylor teaches creative writing at the University of Michigan and is the poetry editor for Michigan Review Quarterly.  He has published numerous poetry collections, and his poetry has appeared in many prestigious literary journals.  Reference to this and additional biographical information may be found here:  http://www.keithtaylorannarbor.com.

Sea and Rain (1895) (pictured) is a painting by James McNeill Whistler (1834 - 1903), an American expatriate in Europe, mainly Paris and London, who is noted for his development of a kind of Post-Impressionist style during the height of the Impressionist era.  Reference to this and additional biographical information may be found here:  http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/whis/hd_whis.htm.

In his ekphrastic poem, Mr. Taylor has captured the essence of Mr. Whistler's painting.  The painting is described as a beautiful abstraction until the human figure in the foreground makes it real, just as light is an abstraction until it hits the retina.

Review of Gotrek & Felix: Daemonslayer by William King

Gotrek & Felix:  Daemonslayer by William King (from the First Omnibus edition, Black Library, a Warhammer novel, 1999) is the third book in the series of the adventures of Gotrek Gurnisson the dwarf and his human companion Felix Jaeger the poet-warrior.  King owes much to Tolkien in regards to his treatment of dwarves (or "dwarfs," as King calls them) as well as his treatment of the "boss level" daemon that is practically a carbon copy of the great master's balrog.

This book is hardly highbrow epic swords and sorcery.  The characters are one-dimensional clichés, the fight scenes contain such descriptions of blow-by-blow gore as to be almost silly, the setting is basically a middle earth retread, and the writing at times is so bad as to be funny.  However, the pacing is excellent, and, while the direction of the story is predictable, certain elements of the plot are creative and original.  I am ashamed to admit that I enjoyed reading the book immensely.  I'll call it a guilty pleasure.  Forgive me, Tolkien.

Poem of the Day: "There is another sky" by Emily Dickinson

"There is another sky" by Emily Dickinson is the Songs of Eretz Poem of the Day for May 18, 2014.  The poem is in the public domain and therefore legally reprinted here.  Dickinson's poetry has been examined several times in the Poetry Review, most recently in a post of December 31, 2013, which includes a brief biography http://eretzsongs.blogspot.com/2013/12/review-of-its-all-i-have-to-bring-today.html. 

There is another sky

Emily Dickinson

There is another sky,

Ever serene and fair,

And there is another sunshine,

Though it be darkness there;

Never mind faded forests, Austin,

Never mind silent fields -

Here is a little forest,

Whose leaf is ever green;

Here is a brighter garden,

Where not a frost has been;

In its unfading flowers

I hear the bright bee hum:

Prithee, my brother,

Into my garden come!

William Austin Dickinson (1829 - 1895) (pictured) was Emily's brother, the eldest of the three Dickinson siblings.  Emily, about eighteen months his junior, had a deep affection for her brother, especially when they were children.  Reference to this and additional biographical information may be found here:  http://www.emilydickinsonmuseum.org/austin_dickinson.

Dickinson certainly demonstrates her famous enigmatic side in "There is another sky."  On its face, the poem seems to be a plea for Austin to spend more quality time with Emily.  Austin did have to leave his sisters alone in their Amherst abode at times to conduct business elsewhere, and, even when he was home, he could sometimes be aloof [see above citation].  

The "garden" conceit could be an elaborate metaphor for Emily's undying and unchanging sisterly love for her brother.  The only line that does not fit is /Though it be darkness there/, especially since just prior to this line, Dickinson speaks of a place "serene and fair" with "sunshine."

Poem of the Day: "Burial" by Robert McAlmon

"Burial" by Robert McAlmon is the Songs of Eretz Poem of the Day and the Poets.org's Poem-A-Day offering for May 17, 2014.  The poem first appeared in the poet's collection, Explorations, in 1921.  It is in the public domain and therefore legally reprinted here.

Burial

Robert McAlmon

Geometry is a perfect religion,

Axiom after axiom:

One proves a way into infinity

And logic makes obeisance at command.

Outside of the triangle, cubes, and polystructures

There is restless pummeling, pounding and taunting.

The end is diffused into channels

Every step into eternity—and steps are endless.

Kansas native Robert McAlmon (1896 - 1956) (pictured) was a poet, author, memoirist, and publisher.  During his time as an expatriate in France in the 1920s, he founded a publishing company that published work from such famous writers as Ernest Hemingway, William Carlos Williams, and Gertrude Stein.  Reference to this and additional biographical information may be found here:  http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/659718/Robert-McAlmon.

Exhumation
Steven Wittenberg Gordon, MD

Ah, if only religion could be
As perfect as geometry,
So easily proven point by point,
No need for a godhead to anoint.

One simply accepts the axioms
Of point and line and plane and sums.
But doesn't that take faith?  'Twould seem
Geometry is too a dream.

Poem of the Day: "The Road Not Taken" by Robert Frost

"The Road Not Taken" by Robert Frost is the Songs of Eretz Poem of the Day for May 16, 2014.  A link to the poem may be found here:  http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/173536.

Robert Frost (1874 - 1963) (pictured) was known in his lifetime as the unofficial poet laureate of the United States.  President John F. Kennedy asked Frost to read a poem at his inauguration--an unprecedented request at the time--and spoke at the dedication of the Robert Frost Library at Amherst College (where this editor spent many long hours wasting his time studying biology and chemistry when he could have been reading poetry).  Reference to this and extensive additional biographical information may be found here:  http://www.poetryfoundation.org/bio/robert-frost.

"The Road Not Taken" is a lovely poem with a pleasant rhyme scheme about a walk in the woods that leads the speaker to a literal and philosophical crossroads and a fourth dimensional epiphany.  After a moment of contemplation, the poet chooses the path "less traveled by," eschewing the other more predictable, safer, surer path.  Suddenly, in a glimpse of the fourth dimension, he sees his future.  He sees that his life will be richer, fuller, and more memorable by dint of taking the less traveled path.

As I think back on my own life and contemplate my own future, it is clear that I, as most people do I suspect, usually took the safer path when at a crossroads.  That path led to a college preparatory program in high school, a pre-medical program in college, medical school near my hometown, and an internship near my medical school.  The path to so-called success.

However, it was the times that I took the "less traveled" path that made my life interesting.  Daring to ask out the glamorous law student and marrying her eighteen months later.  Doing my residency in Wisconsin instead of the surer thing of continuing in New York.  Defiantly opening my own solo medical practice and running it my own way.  Volunteering for active duty with the Air Force at the age of thirty-five and becoming a flight surgeon--flying as a rated aviator in F-15s, B-52s, KC-10s, and many other aircraft.  Moving to Kansas--which, to a New Yorker was like moving to the Wild West--and setting up a part-time practice out of my own home, sacrificing a higher income for the freedom to have time for poetry and family.  And marketing my poetry, starting an e-zine, and reading and reviewing poetry every day, even when the pull of "the road not taken" beckons.

Poem of the Day: "Phenomenal Woman" by Maya Angelou

"Phenomenal Woman" by Maya Angelou is the Songs of Eretz Poem of the Day for May 15, 2014.  The poem was first appeared in Cosmopolitan in 1978.  A link to the poem may be found here:  http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/178942.

Maya Angelou (born Marguerite Johnson in 1928) is a poet, essayist, memoirist, screenwriter, editor, singer, dancer, actress, composer, educator, and civil rights activist.  She worked with Martin Luther King and Malcolm X.  She was Hollywood's first female director of African descent.  She is currently a Professor of American Studies at Wake Forest University.  She served on committees under Presidents Ford and Carter, and was awarded the National Medal of Arts by President Clinton and the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Obama.  Reference to this and additional biographical information may be found here:  http://www.poetryfoundation.org/bio/maya-angelou.

When "Phenomenal Woman" was first published, Angelou would have been about fifty years of age (about as pictured)--indeed "not cute or built to suit a fashion model's size."  And yet, as the poet reveals, she is always the center of attention, the focal point in any crowd.  What she lacks in looks she more that makes up for with presence and swagger.  You go, girl!

Poem of the Day: "Do not go gentle into that good night" by Dylan Thomas

"Do not go gentle into that good night" by Dylan Thomas is the Songs of Eretz Poem of the Day for May 14, 2014.  A link to this famous villanelle as well as a nice explanation of the poetic form may be found here:  http://www.poets.org/poetsorg/text/poetic-form-villanelle.  The poem was first published in Thomas' collection In Country Sleep, And Other Poems in 1952.

Native Welshman Dylan Thomas (1914 - 1953) (pictured) dropped out of high school at the age of sixteen in order to pursue his literary career.  He went on to become a famous poet, radio broadcaster, and screenwriter.  His notoriously wild lifestyle and alcohol binges would lead him to an early grave and saint-like status among his followers.  Reference to this and additional biographical information may be found here:  http://www.poets.org/poetsorg/poet/dylan-thomas.

Traditional villanelle's have pastoral themes, but contemporary poets have applied the form to different subjects.  In "Do not go gentle," Thomas chose the theme of fighting to stay alive in the face of old age, failure, and looming death.

In the final quatrain, Thomas refers to "my father" with a lower case "f" for "father" but also to "that sad height."  "Height" evokes "Father" with a capital "F" as in God the Father.  His use of "my" implies that Thomas refers to his own father.  Perhaps he refers to all "fathers," which is to say all men who will eventually find themselves facing the end of their lives.

Poem of the Day: "the explorer" by Ross Balcom

Editor's Note:  Not infrequently, I receive strong submissions to Songs of Eretz Poetry E-zine that either just miss my first cut for consideration for publication or that, while good poems, are just not a good fit for the e-zine for any number of reasons.  Rather than just let these good poems go, I am now offering to publish some of them in the daily Poetry Review, beginning with "the explorer" by Ross Balcom, the Songs of Eretz Poem of the Day for May 13, 2014.  "the explorer" was first published in the March 2014 issue of inkscrawl.

the explorer

heart

tell me why

i call

lost cities

home

Ross Balcom is a counselor and frequent contributor to Songs of Eretz Poetry E-zine.  His poems have appeared in Beyond Centauri, inkscrawl, Scifaikuest, Star*Line, Tigershark, and other publications.  In addition to poetry, his interests include parapsychology, hypnosis, and neuro-linguistic programming (NLP).  He lives in southern California.

Some say "home is where you hang your hat," but Mr. Balcom knows the truth of the matter:  "home is where your heart is."  A certain longing or yearning is evoked as the meaning of his poem is contemplated.  "the explorer" has all of the features of a good tanka--each word plays its part, and the poem is elegant, balanced, and thought provoking--simple yet profound.

Poem of the Day: Selections from Urban Tumbleweed: Notes from a Tanka Diary by Harryette Mullen

Selections from Urban Tumbleweed:  Notes from a Tanka Diary by Harryette Mullen is the Songs of Eretz Poem of the Day and the offering from Poets.org's Poem-A-Day for May 12, 2014.  A link to the poem may be found here:  http://poets.org/poetsorg/poem/tanka-diary?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Poem-a-Day++May+12+2014&utm_content=Poem-a-Day++May+12+2014+CID_2ffcb99deeb6e013d323e81995cb0bf6&utm_source=Email%20marketing%20software&utm_term=From%20Tanka%20Diary.  Urban Tumbleweed:  Notes from a Tanka Diary  was published by Graywolf Press in 2013.

Harryette Mullen (b. 1953) teaches African-American literature and creative writing at the University of California, Los Angeles.  Among her many awards and honors are an Academy of American Poets Fellowship, and the Gertrude Stein Award in Innovative American Poetry.  Reference to this and additional biographical information may be found here:  http://poets.org/poetsorg/poet/harryette-mullen?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Poem-a-Day++May+12+2014&utm_content=Poem-a-Day++May+12+2014+CID_2ffcb99deeb6e013d323e81995cb0bf6&utm_source=Email%20marketing%20software&utm_term=Harryette%20Mullen.

Each selection is presented as a tercet, rather than a cinquain as would be expected in a tanka; however, the thirty-one syllable requirement for tanka is followed.  The first one, my favorite of the four, offers a profound insight into the workings of time--a fourth dimensional moment.

The second and third selections are cleverly linked by reference to a "scroll" in the third which mirrors the scroll-shaped "fiddleheads" in the second.  All four selections are linked in that they speak of a journey through progressively more difficult terrain in an effort to find meaning and wisdom in nature.  The journey begins in the most controlled environment--a man-made botanical garden--and progresses through a fern-covered forrest, birch-covered foothills, and finally into the mountains in a quest to find a place where the heart of Nature and the human heart merge.

Happy Mother's Day, Mom! Love, Steven

Mothers’ Love

A seedling nuzzles

into the soft warm earth

surrounded and protected

until the proper time

for it to send up a tender shoot

and its first green leaves.

Nourished by the soil,

watered by gentle rain,

warmed by the life-giving sun,

the seedling grows

tall and strong

and in its time

will blossom and flower.

You are all those things: 

the earth,

the rain,

the sun.

And while important,

they alone

do but life sustain.

More important still

than Nature’s gifts combined:

the endless fountain

of your mothers’ love.

Happy Mother's Day, Mom!

Love,

Steven

Poem of the Day: "Dawning of the Dark" by John C. Mannone

"Dawning of the Dark" by John C. Mannone is the Songs of Eretz Poem of the Day for May 11, 2014. A link to the poem, as it appeared in Poetry Pacific, may be found here:  http://poetrypacific.blogspot.com/2012/11/solicited-poems-by-john-c-mannone.html.  Another of Mr. Mannone's poems appeared in the premier issue of Songs of Eretz Poetry E-zine.  That poem as well as a brief bio of the poet may be found there:  http://eretzsongs.blogspot.com/p/e-zine_4.html.

Much good stuff is concentrated in the five short lines of "Dawning of the Dark."  There are two lovely and thought-provoking conceits:  that of dawn as a door, and that of darkness as something more pure and beautiful than light.  The poet's use of alliteration in the title continues into the first line, giving the beginning of the poem an ancient nordic feel.  The unusual use of "dawn" at first jars, but then forces the reader to delve deeper.

Poem of the Day: "Grandpa taught us" by Romalyn Ante

"Grandpa taught us" by Romalyn Ante is the Songs of Eretz Poem of the Day for May 10, 2014.  A link to the poem may be found here:  http://actonscottfarmpoet.files.wordpress.com/2014/04/fence-romalyn-ante.jpg.  Ms. Ante's poetry was featured in the May 2014 issue of Songs of Eretz Poetry E-zine.  Those poems and a brief bio may be found there:  http://eretzsongs.blogspot.com/p/e-zine_3.html.  Additional information about Ms. Ante may be found here:  http://ripplesoftheriver.blogspot.co.uk.

The conceit in this poem--the comparison of "three golden kernels" to fond memories (implied), patience, and love--should bring a smile to any reader.  The addition of a little ironic humor at the close of the poem humanizes the trope of the wise grandfather while still preserving its true magic.