What if?
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poetry
Unlocked Patron Posts
Given that many of my posts for patrons have now passed the three month point where they are no longer exclusive, I decided to make a post centering the now unlocked posts so that non-patron readers of my blog can now enjoy the poems and short stories that I have written. I have linked to […]
Pain of Passion
Those of you who have been reading this blog for a while now have surely realized my love for Sor Juana and translating her work. Recently I read a translation of hers at a virtual poetry reading, which I referenced in last week’s post. The reading was ‘30 Years/ 30 Poems’ which was put together […]
Once Upon a Now
The following is an original poem that I wrote. I read it recently at a virtual poetry reading called ‘30 Years/ 30 Poems’ which was put together to celebrate the birthday of Olivia Dolphin, Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Wizards in Space Magazine. My reading of the first poem starts at about 1:12:50. I’m also going […]
Better for the Horse: A Medieval Welsh Meet-Cute
I’ve always been a little bit obsessed with the story of Rhiannon, who is one of my favorite figures in Welsh lore. The following is a retelling of a small section of The Mabinogi (part of the core of the ancient Welsh mythological cycle) and is a retelling of how Rhiannon first encounters her husband […]
Book Review: Poena Damni Trilogy by Dimitris Lyacos (Translated by Shorsha Sullivan)
The tricky thing about translating poetry is that poems often rely on the singular meaning of a word. Often a single word will stand alone, though perhaps accompanied by fragments of a sentence, and it is the task of the translator to imbue the meaning of that word or fragment into different words in the […]
POST AND BEFORE a.k.a. I want breakfast
Many people have grown up reading the books of Theodor Seuss “Ted” Geisel, a.k.a. Dr. Seuss. Fond memories of The Cat in the Hat and Green Eggs and Ham might come to mind. One book that I was particularly fond of was The Butter Battle. Coincidentally, The Butter Battle was required reading in one of my high school classes, because one thing […]
A Promise
This poem came to me in a dream. I was asleep one moment, and awake the next, this poem fully formed in my mind. I rushed for pen and paper, greatly disturbing the person sleeping next to me at the time, to write it all down.
Gold
This poem is one that I wrote to play on the themes within Robert Frost’s famous Nothing Gold Can Stay. I wanted to explore the darker elements of the poem, and I think it is clear from the verse that while writing Gold the imagery of Eve, the apple, and the serpent were also vivid and top of […]
Book Review: The Next Loves by Stéphane Bouquet (translated by Lindsay Turner)
It’s been a while since I read poetry that moved me as much as did The Next Loves by Stéphane Bouquet (translated by Lindsay Turner). I find almost all poetry moving, but the raw ache I felt when reading some of the verse within this text was such that I found my eyes scanning and […]
Book Review: The Fire This Time: A New Generation Speaks about Race
Until I started reading it, I had no idea how much I needed this book. The Fire This Time is a collection of poems and essays dedicated to the topic of race the United States. I think that the editor, Jesmyn Ward, put it best in her introduction when she outlined what kind of book […]
Book Review: What to Eat, What to Drink, What to Leave for Poison by Camille T. Dungy
“Lady, my one regret / is that we don’t have appetite enough / to make you break every damned plate inside this room.” As a person of color, I am undeniably drawn to works that discuss race in a way that does not skim over the harsh realities that we face every day. As someone […]
On Poetry and Translation
I think that poetry is a beautiful and important part of our history. Poetry allows us to express our thoughts and feelings in a therapeutic and elegant way. Poetry is important because it presents a way for people to connect with one another in with deeper expression than with prose. For me, the most important […]