Connecting to nature through poetry and prose
Emily Dickinson wrote: “Had Nature an Apostate-/ That Mushroom -it is Him!”. These lines seem to be a recognition that mushrooms don't follow all the laws of nature. Mushrooms are a breed unto themselves. Today we have four poems that investigate the fungal kingdom.
The mini season of Autumn Equinox runs from September 22 until October 7. The harvest moon is a relevant kigo, or seasonal words, to use when writing haiku about this season. Today we have six haiku by four haiku masters that reference the harvest moon.
Pastoral poetry focuses on an idealized notion of the rural landscape. This tradition started with Hesiod and we can still find traces of it in the work of Wendell Berry and Dylan Thomas.
At the end of summer, sunflowers are noticeable parts of the landscape. Poets William Blake and Kenneth W. Porter have both written about the sunflower. However, their poems feel very different.
The mini season of White Dew runs from September 7 until September 21. To honor this season we have collected several haikus by the early masters of the form.
Three resources that explore the challenges and benefits of reading and writing poetry,. These sources also offer insight into the ways we can learn and grow with poetry.
Gardens can provide us with food for our bodies and souls. Poets can help us see that connection in a new way. In today's post we have three poems that look at gardening featuring poets Beatrix Potter, Edgar Guest, and Karina Borowicz.
The 1960s brought an awareness of an emerging environmental crisis. This crisis captured the attention of poets and led to the creation of ecopoetry. Ecopoetry can then be separated into three large categories: nature poetry, environmental poetry, and ecological poetry.
The 72 seasons ask us to slow down. If we think about everything in micro-seasons, the beauty of everyday life opens up. Each block of time brings its own magic, and likewise, its own poetry to the world.
The Canadian Geese migration is one of those amazing feats of the natural world. When you think about this, and then watch them fly in their V formation, it makes sense that poets would incorporate them into their verse. Mary Oliver and Wendell Berry are two poets who took note of these birds and incorporated it into verse.
