January 19, 2009
For anyone out there interested in formal or metrical poetry I’ve recently stumbled across an online magazine that deals in just that.
Rhythm Poetry Magazine is a small, but dedicated publication that seeks metrical poetry, with a slight focus on Canadian writing. The magazine is a quarterly and published multiple poems from each author per issue.
I suggest you take a look at it and see for yourself.
January 6, 2009
Originally appeared in The Panhandler.
WIND HAIBUN
She’s at it again. The stalking. Waiting till you and sleep are about to reconcile that on-again-off-again love. She sweeps scythe feet through the grass out back, tramples flowerbeds, reckless heels kicking wildly. Knocks clapboard with flutters of taut knuckles, flicks the plastic flap on the drier vent near the door. She’s even shaking the apple tree near the window, yelling profanities through the stutter of leaves. It’s her; you know that accent, blasts of edged language knifing air.
under covers
skin on skin
___slit eye moon
Back to Poems
January 5, 2009
Blood and Roses (2007, Harper Perennial)
Blood and Roses: One Family’s Struggle and Triumph During the Tumultuous Wars of the Roses
Helen Castor
Harper Perennial, 2007
ISBN: 978-0-00-716222-2
The Wars of the Roses was a confusing and often terrifying time for people of all social classes in Medieval England. In a few short decades four kings had lost their thrones and the country was repeated thrown into civil conflict and uncertainty. To this backdrop, Castor takes us through the lives of four generations of the Paston family in Norfolk, from a ploughman working his own land to a high ranking judge, knight, and Sheriff.
What is so interesting about the Paston story is how socio-political advancement could be gained at a time when titles and the right to call oneself a gentleman was still very much the powerbase of society. The determination with which the family sought to improve their lot is staggering, but what is most interesting is that there exists generations of personal letters and official documents detailing many of the occurances of land buying, land wars, and other concerns of the family during their struggle. From these primary sources, as well as other scholarship, Castor creates a living history and understanding of this dark period in England’s past.
The book is well written with excellent attention to detail. A must read for anyone interested in the waning of England’s Middle Ages.
