Tag Archives: Poetry

indeed… and very dearly – A Book of Reflections by the Franciscan Sisters of Tiffin, Ohio (chapbook, 1973)

The history of poetry, and all of human writing, doesn’t exist in established publishing houses or clever marketing departments. Most poetry we read was never intended to even see the light of day, with Robert Greene and Emily Dickinson being the most obvious examples of writers who never found much fame or fortune during theirContinue reading “indeed… and very dearly – A Book of Reflections by the Franciscan Sisters of Tiffin, Ohio (chapbook, 1973)”

An analysis of the poem ‘Let My People Go’, by James Weldon Johnson

James Weldon Johnson is a simple poet, delivering bars in clean lines and succinct stanzas. Much of his religious poetry is long and epic in scale, but his message of freedom and suffering is universal in its scope. A black man living in a post-slavery society, Johnson was more of a preacher delivering sermons thanContinue reading “An analysis of the poem ‘Let My People Go’, by James Weldon Johnson”

How to Cure a Ghost (poetry book, 2019)

Fariha Róisín’s debut book of poetry, How to Cure a Ghost, is a classic example of how Walt Whitman’s free-spirited form of prose and Charles Bukowski’s unapologetic unconformity of lacking grammar, proper line breaks, and capitalized personal pronouns completely decimated what people consider “expressive” contemporary poetry these days. Every poet, including myself, started out withContinue reading “How to Cure a Ghost (poetry book, 2019)”

The things we don’t talk about (poetry book, 2018?)

I don’t know who Pandora Owl is, I don’t know if they’re a boy or girl, I don’t know their age. Looking for a new book of poetry to review at my main library in Toledo, I fingered upon this mysterious black chapbook tightly packed in between much bigger and important hardcover collections of poetry.Continue reading “The things we don’t talk about (poetry book, 2018?)”

An analysis of “Sonnet 5”, by William Shakespeare

A crucial aspect of most of the 154 sonnets by William Shakespeare is the role of a central conceit, or metaphor, upon which the poem is constructed. Surrounding the central concept is the building up of the thought surrounding the central conceit being construed, followed by a turn that often answers the question being posed,Continue reading “An analysis of “Sonnet 5”, by William Shakespeare”

Prose poetry in the mask of spirituality | A review of Reduced to Joy by Mark Nepo

Mark Nepo is good at reflecting on emotions and creating meaningful snippets of memories he’s clearly reflected on. Spirituality, perhaps even a hint of Buddhism, is found sprinkled throughout his book. As a poet, maybe not so much. Nepo makes the mistake most SERIOUS contemporary poetry make, which is that they write prose broken upContinue reading “Prose poetry in the mask of spirituality | A review of Reduced to Joy by Mark Nepo”

Thematic Analysis of “The Summer-Camp Bus Pulls Away From the Curb” by Sharon Olds | Loss, Independence and Growing Up

A thematic analysis of the poem “The Summer-Camp Bus Pulls Away From the Curb” by Sharon Olds. Topics covered include loss, independence and growing up.