SAME SOUND, DIFFERENT MEANING

Bread, bred

Heard, herd

WORDS OF WISDOM

 

TIME FOR REFLECTION

This time of year (Thanksgiving thru New Year's Day) is my time of reflection. I have written a few poems in recent days about reflection. Looking at what going on in the world, I am seeing what is really important. Love, respect, a sense that we matter. These are some things, I believe, many people desire.

I post positive things on my Facebook account because folks need encouragement and something to begin their day on a positive note. My poems are a mix of joy, reflection, gratefulness, and hope. I look back on the vents that have happened this. I also am anticipating more things in the future.

I am a septuagenarian with a child's curiosity. As I continue on life's journey, I will visualize what I want to accomplish and go after them. There are areas that I know can be improved on. Reflection is not only reminiscing but a call to move ahead.

WORDS OF WISDOM

 

SAME CITY, DIFFERENT COUNTRY

                                               US                                    FOREIGN

Cairo                           Georgia, Illinois                  Egypt

Harlem*                       New York                           Netherlands (spelled with 2 As}

Melbourne                   Florida                               Australia

Moscow                       Idaho                                 Russia

St. Petersburg             Florida                               Russia

OBSCURE POET-ROBERT HAYDEN

 

Robert Hayden (1913-1980)

First black U S Poet Laureate

First black professor in the English department at the University of Michigan

He never embraced black separation, because of his Baha'i faith, and believed in the unity of humanity.

W.H. Auden, Langston Hughes, Elinor Wylie, and Paul Laurence Dunbar were some of his influences

NOTABLE WORKS

Selected Poems

Words In The Mourning Time

The Lion and The Archer

Angle of Ascent

Robert Hayden is more known now than he was during his lifetime. He was a victim of the discrimination, prejudice, and conventions of the writing of times that were popular. Like Paul Laurence Dunbar and Jack Kerouac, I embraced Hayden because he defied convention. 

Hayden was dismissed by militant black authors because he didn't embrace their philosophy. He wanted to be known as a poet, not just a black poet. I can understand his feelings because I believe the same way. 

WORDS OF WISDOM

 

BEING MY FAVORITE AUTHOR(S)

Have you ever dreamed of being one of your favorite authors? What would it be like to live in his/her skin? I wouldn't mind being Jack Kerouac minus the alcohol and drugs. He experienced some wild and wonderful adventures sabotaged by self doubt and alcohol.

While my favorite authors were tremendous writers, they also carried a lot of baggage. Yes, I would like to have had some of their gifts and talents. I wouldn't want all their troubles.

HONOR OUR VETERANS

 

TEMPTED

Today I was tempted to purchase another book, but I didn't. The book I was interested in was Selected Poems by Louise Gluck. Though I heard of her, I don't know much about Ms. Gluck. Ah, well, maybe another time. 

MORE FAVORITES

My next group of favorite authors are Beat writer Jack Kerouac and Virginia Woolf. I have read several of Kerouac's books, of which Dharma Bums is my favorite.

I only read one book by Virginia Woolf, Orlando. It stoked my interest in her work and her life. Though married I believe she may have been struggling with gender identity. Don't know for sure; it just my opinion.

WORDS OF WISDOM

In writing, I search for believability, simplicity and emotional impact.

~Hal David

FAVORITE AUTHORS

Edgar Allan Poe

Paul Laurence Dunbar

Langston Hughes

Sylvia Plath

Herman Melville

ECLECTIC READING HABITS.

I would describe my reading habits as eclectic. I read books of numerous genres; science, historical, spiritual, horror, poetry, etc. Though I read mostly non-fiction, reading a good fiction book relaxes my mind. I can be intense at times. 

Reading difference genres expands my horizons as well as my vocabulary. I imagine myself in these settings experiencing what people were challenged with. When I read the biographies of the authors, it gives me a glimpse of the his/her mindset. And I'm attracted to complicated people. It's why William Shakespeare's Hamlet is my favorite of his plays. I'll have to read it again soon.   

GRATEFULNESS

 

WORDS OF WISDOM

Writing ✍  is a Supreme solace.

W. Somerset Maugham, Playwright (1874-1965)

FAMOUS WRITERS BORN IN NOVEMBER

Louisa May Alcott

Margaret Atwood

Rita Mae Brown

Neil Gaiman

Madeleine L'Engle

C. S. Lewis

Arundhati Roy

Bram Stoker

Mark Twain 

Kurt Vonnegut

Colson Whitehead