May 2015 – Alison McGhee

May 30, 2015

Poem of the Week, by Mark Kraushaar

A friend of mine had a husband –lost to cancer now– who saw no reason to stint on the bubbly. Any occasion, he’d pop the cork and fill the flutes. My daughters and I were in the kitchen enjoying a glass of wine the other night, and I was telling them about this guy, and … Continue reading Poem of the Week, by Mark Kraushaar

May 24, 2015

Poem of the Week, by Brian Turner

Been sitting here for hours trying to choose the right poem. First I chose a classic one by Wilfred Owens, in WWI, but it was unbearable. Then I chose a lesser-known one by Archibald MacLeish, mid-20th century, but that one was also unbearable. Now I’ve been reading through Brian Turner’s Iraq war poems, and they too … Continue reading Poem of the Week, by Brian Turner

May 9, 2015

Poem of the Week, by Osip Mandelstam

This one goes out to all those for whom tomorrow, for any one of many private and public reasons, is a hard or frustrating or painful day. The Necklace – Osip Mandelstam (1920, translated from the Russian by Christian Wiman) Take, from my palms, for joy, for ease, A little honey, a little sun, That … Continue reading Poem of the Week, by Osip Mandelstam

May 4, 2015

Poem of the Week, by Brian Turner

Someone once told me to think up a safe place where I could magically be transported when I needed to, when I had no reserves left to deal with whatever was going on around me. This place took about half a second to conjure itself up: a stream, flowers, grass, a sunny field beyond, and … Continue reading Poem of the Week, by Brian Turner