Poems About Places

Ever since Google published their map interface, people around the web have been using it to track all sorts of phenomena. There even seems to be a word for it — geotag: the process of adding geographical identification metadata to various media such as photographs, video, and websites (here’s the wikipedia entry). And there’s a blog called Google Maps Mania that attempts to keep track of them.
One such place is Poetry Atlas, which is “mapping the world with Poetry.” They believe “that everywhere has had a poem written about it at some time or other. Our aim is to augment reality by adding a poetic layer to every place.” On their map, I stumbled on this one:

Happiness
Carl Sandburg

I asked the professors who teach the meaning of life to tell me what is happiness.
And I went to famous executives who boss the work of thousands of men.
They all shook their heads and gave me a smile as though I was trying to fool with them
And then one Sunday afternoon I wandered out along the Desplaines river
And I saw a crowd of Hungarians under the trees with their women and children and a keg of beer and an accordion.

Poetry Atlas

Poetry for the Mind’s Joy

Recent US Poet Laureates have established projects related to poetry during their tenures. There’s Robert Pinsky’s Favorite Poem Project, Billy Collins’ Poetry 180 for high school students and Ted Kooser’s American Life in Poetry newspaper column. The current laureate, Kay Ryan, recently announced her own project that “embraces community colleges through an online poetry page Poetry for the Mind’s Joy and a poetry-writing contest.”

I simply want to celebrate the fact that right near your home, year in and year out, a community college is quietly—and with very little financial encouragement—saving lives and minds,” said Ryan. “I can’t think of a more efficient, hopeful or egalitarian machine, with the possible exception of the bicycle.”

Ryan added, “It is at a community college that a student can progress all the way from learning to read to learning to read poetry. That is, she can get the basic tools she must have to advance in the world and then go on and use them for the mind’s joy. This is a progression that improves both the student and her community every step of the way.”

Giveaway: Haiku Cards

Set of 12 Haiku Letterpress-printed cardsI’ve got a new set of of 12 letterpress-printed flat note cards with envelopes, featuring my haiku, in my shop. I thought I’d celebrate the end of summer with a giveaway… To enter, describe your summer in exactly 6 words (short, like a haiku!) in the comments below. Contest ends Friday, Sept 4th 7am (PT). A random entry wins a set of the haiku cards.

Poetry Jam

Michelle Obama at the poetry jamTuesday this week, the Obama’s hosted a “poetry jam” at the White House (silly me, I thought the term was “slam” not “jam.”) John Stewart made fun of the evening — they were trying to be too hip — but I think endorsing spoken word anything is wonderful. You can see a review here.

Poet Laureate

Carol DuffyThis month Carol Ann Duffy became the first woman ever named Britain’s poet laureate. According to the NY Times she writes “often mischievous poems dealing with the darkest turmoil and the lightest minutiae of everyday life.” This post is a bit off topic, but I’ve been reading her poems for years, and one of my favorite poems ever is by Duffy — I’ve reprinted it below. You can read more of her poetry in the NY Times article and this article from the BBC.

Valentine

Not a red rose or a satin heart.

I give you an onion.
It is a moon wrapped in brown paper.
It promises light
like the careful undressing of love.

Here.
It will blind you with tears
like a lover.
It will make your reflection
a wobbling photo of grief.

I am trying to be truthful.

Not a cute card or a kissogram.

I give you an onion.
Its fierce kiss will stay on your lips,
possessive and faithful
as we are,
for as long as we are.

Take it.
Its platinum loops shrink to a wedding-ring,
if you like.

Lethal.
Its scent will cling to your fingers,
cling to your knife.