Poetry Speaks To The Whole Family

From the moment the shiny new book arrived at my doorstep, I was excited to see what this incredible creation had in store for my son and for me. From the moment I cracked open the spine, I realized it delivers more than I had hoped it would.

Poetry Speaks to Children is a collection of poems and is accompanied by an audio CD containing many poems from the book, with most being read by the author. Even the famed Robert Frost's voice makes an appearance to read his well known "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening." Each poem of the book with a matching track on the CD is marked with the track number, making listening to your favorites quite easy.

The first thing I noticed about the book was the amazing illustrations by Judy Love, Wendy Rasmussen, and Paula Zinngrabe Wendland. These names may not mean much to most readers, but after viewing the images of imagination coming to life in full color on the pages of this book, it may give you pause enough to file these illustrators' names to memory. Each illustration captures the feel and wonderment of the poems bound in Poetry Speaks to Children.

The collection of poems, 95 in all, captures the diversity of humanity, cultures, and inner thoughts and feelings. The poetry isn't just poetry; it is literature in its purest form. Poems from greats like Langston Hughes, Lewis Carroll, and Rudyard Kipling share space with historic playwrights such as William Shakespeare and epic novelists like J. R. R. Tolkien. The best part of this collection is that children can enjoy a rich education of literature, learning about the beauty of poetry and the written word while having fun!

The recordings on the audio CD add to the timelessness of poetry. Some of the poems were recorded for the first time while creating the CD, thus resulting in crisp and beautiful poetic rhythms spoken by the author. Other tracks from the CD are from much older recordings, such as the Robert Frost reading. The varied sounds of the CD add to the feel of old and new merging together to make a classic for the younger generation.

Although my son, a mere 2 years old, can't read the words, he can enjoy the imaginative illustrations and the music of poetry when listening to the CD. It also allows parent and child to bond in a way a DVD or audio CD alone cannot.

Poetry Speaks to Children is the best choice for a new addition to any avid reader's collection of poetry. Better still, it is the perfect choice for introducing the beauty of poetry and the spoken word to anyone, of any culture, young and old. Within the pages of the shiny, wonderful book, poetry speaks to everyone in the family.

Author : Rachael Towle

http://www.isnare.com/?aid=22831&ca=Poetry

William Blake Poetry

William Blake was both a mystic and visionary poet.

William Blake composed many poems, far reaching in both their scope and range of experience. The poetry of Blake is a reflection of his own inner vision.

As a young boy Blake had an illumining mystical experience. Throughout his life he maintained this otherworldly quality and most significantly was able to experience and see the divine in and through “ordinary” human experiences. For example in the poem “Divine Image”

“And all must love the human form,
In heathen, turk, or jew;
Where Mercy, Love, & Pity dwell
There God is dwelling too.”

- From: The Divine Image - Songs of Innocence

This ability to see the divine in all is best summarized in Blake’s immortal poem from Auguries of Innocence.

" To see a world in a grain of sand
And heaven in a wild flower
Hold infinity in the palm of your hand
And eternity in an hour."

- from 'Auguries of Innocence'

The poetry of Blake offers the extremes of human experiences, which is richly portrayed in Blake's poem "The Tyger". The poem “The Tyger was written during the French Revolution and so alludes to the violent and threatening forces of the time. However the Tyger is much deeper than a symbolic commentary. It encapsulates the darkest forces of ignorance which are transcended by the divine, transcendental consciousness which combines both polarities of light and darkness.

" Tyger! Tyger! burning bright
In the forests of the night,
What immortal hand or eye
Could frame thy fearful symmetry? "

- From: "The Tyger" - Songs of Experience

“ The Tyger" is humanity's invaluable treasure. Here we see that ignorance-energy, which threatens to devour the entire world, finally discovers its transformation-salvation in the realisation of the absolute One. This absolute One embodies both ignorance-energy and knowledge-energy and, at the same time, far transcends them both.”

- Commentary by Sri Chinmoy

The poetry of Blake covers many different angles and perceptions. Poems from Songs of Innocence are quite unique in their genuine innocence, yet free of overbearing sentimentality.

“Smiles on thee, on me, on all;
Who became an infant small.
Infant smiles are his own smiles;
Heaven & earth to peace beguiles.”

On the other hand In Songs of Experience Blake testify’s to the harsh realities of life that can be experienced. For example the poem “London is a stark reminder of life in the 18th Century.

"I wander through each chartered street,
Near where the chartered Thames does flow,
A mark in every face I meet,
Marks of weakness, marks of woe.

In every cry of every man,
In every infant's cry of fear,
In every voice, in every ban,
The mind-forged manacles I hear: "
~
The introductory poem to Milton (commonly called Jerusalem) incorporates some of the best aspects of Blake’s poetry. It is rich in symbolism and the polarities between the “darkness” of the “Satanic Mills” and the promised land of “Jerusalem” – A state of innocence and beauty.

"And did those feet in ancient time,"
Walk upon Englands mountains green:
"And was the holy Lamb of God,"
On Englands pleasant pastures seen

"And did the Countenance Divine,"
Shine forth upon our clouded hills?
"And was Jerusalem builded here,"
Among these dark Satanic Mills?

Often when reading Blake’s poetry we may not be aware or perhaps misunderstand his symbolism and hidden meaning. But the beauty of his lyrical poetry means that doesn’t matter we can enjoy his poetry without fully “understanding” his prophetic message.

Author : Richard PEttinger

http://www.isnare.com/?aid=29355&ca=Poetry

New Types Of Poetry

There are many different types of poetry. I counted 50 on a quick search of the internet. You may have heard of Haiku and Limericks. There are the more obscure types too, like Terzanelle and Sestina. Learning different types of poetry though, isn't nearly as much fun as inventing your own, so here are some ideas about that.

Types Of Poetry - Playing With Stanzas

What is a stanza? A division of a poem consisting of two or more lines. How many ways can you structure a stanza? As many as you want. Look at this stanza from the poem, "Gratitude:"

So there is nothing to say

There is nothing to say

There is nothing

Nothing...

But gratitude

Each line is a smaller part of the previous line. In this case, it quiets the mind in order to emphasize the last word: gratitude. However, this idea could be used in many ways. You could start with a line like, "She watched the birds come in from the sea," and it can reduce to, "Come in from the sea;" "From the sea:" "Where Michael was left alone in the storm."

Each stanza could have lengthening lines. Lines could be varied in length to create a picture on the page. Playing with stanzas is a fun way to create new types of poetry.

Ideas For New Types Of Poetry

In the poem "Do Not Believe In God," each stanza starts with one of our senses: "See God... in stars and sunlight... and the face of your lover;" Hear God... in wind and waves... and the music of the birds." All the senses are covered. How could we use this general idea? By starting each stanza with a different verb or adjective? By starting each stanza with a different person's name? By having each stanza get smaller or larger as the poem progresses?

How many ways can you play with poems? "Dream poems," could be a type of poetry that puts actual dreams into verse. "Dialog poems" could have stanzas or lines answering each other back and forth. A series of poems could use all the exact same words, rearranged, with an entirely different outcome in each. There are endless types of poetry you can create.

Author : Steve Gillman

http://www.isnare.com/?aid=46832&ca=Poetry

Spiritual Poems - Why Read Them?

What makes spiritual poems different from other spiritual writings? Poetry has a way of pointing more directly at reality, rather than just defining it. It uses words as tools for the transmission of experience. Spiritual poetry then, is more about enlightenment than belief. Here is a classic example from the Tao Te Ching:

Empty your mind of all thoughts.
Let your heart be at peace.
Watch the turmoil of beings,
but contemplate their return.

Each separate being in the universe
returns to the common source.
Returning to the source is serenity.
If you don't realize the source,
you stumble in confusion and sorrow.

When you realize where you came from,
you naturally become tolerant,
disinterested, amused,
kindhearted as a grandmother,
dignified as a king.

Immersed in the wonder of the Tao,
you can deal with whatever life brings you,
and when death comes, you are ready.

The Christian Bible is full of spiritual poems. Consider this short passage from the poetry found in Corinthians:

When I was a child,
I spoke like a child,
I thought like a child,
I reasoned like a child;
when I became a man,
I gave up childish ways.

Spiritual poems are not necessarily religious poems. They can simply point at the universal values in life, and at our relationship to these. This can be seen in the last stanza of the poem "Lake Superior."

There was the sun on my face,
and this was superior
to any description, idea,
belief or faith.

Spiritual poetry can try to point out some particular truth. It can also be more enigmatic, causing you to investigate an idea more closely to find your own truth. It can be an expression of love, or encourage you to relax and be at peace. Simple enjoyment, though, is enough reason to read spiritual poems.

Author : Steve Gillman

http://www.isnare.com/?aid=46334&ca=Poetry