SHARON OLDS

I recently came upon the works of poet Sharon Olds. She has written many odes on various subjects. I am reading some of them and hope to post a few of them.

WORDS OF WISDOM

 

WORDS OF WISDOM

The ode lives upon the ideal, the epic upon the grandiose,  the drama upon the real.

~Victor Hugo, Author (1802-1885)

POEM

 

My Heart Leaps Up

William Wordsworth - 1770-1850

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My heart leaps up when I behold 
   A rainbow in the sky:
So was it when my life began; 
So is it now I am a man; 
So be it when I shall grow old, 
   Or let me die!
The Child is father of the Man;
And I could wish my days to be
Bound each to each by natural piety.

FATHER'S DAY

 

ODES

Odes are short lyrical poems that praise an individual, idea, or event. In ancient Greece, odes were accompanied by music. I once wrote an ode to the bus terminal here, noting that many times I have been there, and still pass through. 

In the album 'L.A. Woman' done by the 1960s rock group, The Doors. this is Jim Morrison's ode to the city that he loved but had changed. Beat writer Jack Kerouac sensed the same in the late 1950s regarding New York City.   

Are odes happy? Sad? Reflective? A change of direction?  That could be all. 

WORDS OF WISDOM

This is one of my favorite quotes.

WORDS OF WISDOM

Books and all forms of writing are terror to those who wish to suppress the truth.

~Wole Soyinka, Nigerian Dramatist (b.1934)

NOT ANGRY

I can honestly say that I'm not an angry writer. One poet that I have come to admire is Robert Hayden (1913-1980). He was criticized by other black authors during the 1960s because he did not go the way of black militancy. It was something that he shunned. Hayden wanted to be known as just a writer. 

I'm much the same way. If someone is touched by my poetry and stories, I'm happy for them. I'm attracted to authors who go against conventions of their times. Beat writer Jack Kerouac is a perfect example. I enjoy reading his novels.

Each writer has his/her particular style. No one should be browbeaten into writing something is not them. I appreciate each writer for their work and style. 

SAME CITY, DIFFERENT COUNTRY

ROME- New York, Georgia

                Italy

MOSCOW- Idaho  

                   Russia

HARLEM- New York

                    Holland*- spelled with two A's

WORDS OF WISDOM

A good short-story writer has an instinct for sketching in just enough background to ground the specific story.

~Lynn Abbey (b. 1948)

WRITERS I WOULD LIKE TO MEET

There are many interesting writers, living and dead, I would to meet. There are five writers that really get my attention.

Jack Kerouac

Sylvia Plath

Robert Hayden

Edgar Allan Poe

Mary Oliver

SAME CITY, DIFFERENT STATE

SEAFORD- Delaware, New York

WHEELING- Illinois, West Virginia

WINDHAM- Connecticut, Maine, New Hampshire, New York