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Sacramental Acts: The Love Poems of Kenneth Rexroth by Kenneth Rexroth
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Concerning the Book that is the Body of the Beloved
Gregory Orr - 2005
. . mystical, carnal, reflective, wry.”—San Francisco ReviewThis book-length sequence of ecstatic, visionary lyrics recalls Rumi in its search for the beloved and its passionate belief in the healing qualities of art and beauty.Concerning the Book that is the Body of the Beloved is an incantatory celebration of the “Book,” an imaginary and self-gathering anthology of all the lyrics—both poems and songs—ever written. Each poem highlights a distinct aspect of the human condition, and together the poems explore love, loss, restoration, the beauty of the world, the beauty of the beloved, and the mystery of poetry. The purpose and power of the Book is to help us live by reconnecting us to the world and to our emotional lives.I put the beloved In a wooden coffin. The fire ate his body; The flames devoured her. I put the beloved In a poem or song. Tucked it between Two pages of the Book. How bright the flames. All of me burning, All of me on fire And still whole.There is nothing quite like this book—an “active anthology” in the best sense—where individuals find the poems and songs that will sustain them. Or the poems find them.Gregory Orr is the author of eight books of poetry, four volumes of criticism, and a memoir. He has received numerous awards for his work, most recently the Academy Award in Literature from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. Orr has taught at the University of Virginia since 1975 and was, for many years, the poetry editor of The Virginia Quarterly Review. He lives with his family in Charlottesville, Virginia.
The Star-Spangled Banner
Denise Duhamel - 1999
The misunderstandings caused by language recur throughout the book: contemplating what "yes" means in different cultures; watching Nickelodeon's "Nick at Nite" with a husband who grew up in the Philippines and never saw The Patty Duke Show; misreading another poet's title "The Difference Between Pepsi and Coke" as "The Difference Between Pepsi and Pope" and concluding that "Pepsi is all for premarital sex. / The Pope won't stain your teeth." Misunderstandings also abound as characters mingle with others from different classes. In "Cockroaches," a father-in-law refers to budget-minded American college students backpacking in Europe as cockroaches, not realizing his daughter-in-law was once, not so long ago, such a student/roach herself.With welcome levity and refreshing irreverence, The Star-Spangled Banner addresses issues of ethnicity, class, and gender in America.
Serious Concerns
Wendy Cope - 1992
Its successor, Serious Concerns has proved even more popular, addressing such topics as 'Bloody Men', 'Men and Their Boring Arguments', 'Two Cures for Love', 'Kindness to Animals' and 'Tumps' (Typically Useless Male Poets).
you are safe here.
AVA. - 2016
for hurting. for healing. for souls becoming. for anyone who loves too deeply and loves too much. for anyone who doesn't love themselves enough. this is for you.
Translations from the Poetry of Rainer Maria Rilke
Rainer Maria Rilke - 1962
Herter Norton offer Rilke's work to the English-speaking world in an accurate, sensitive, modern version.
the bitter end
Kaliane Faye - 2019
small chapbook of poems about an almost love.
Rabbit
Sophie Robinson - 2018
These poems take the reader on surprising journeys of healing, hard-won amid personal and social vicissitudes – including triumph over addiction, and alcoholism – and open spaces in which to share in emotional, quasi-spiritual transcendence despite. Who could ask for more? Rabbit was chosen for the PBS Wild Card Choice for Winter, 2018.
The Fourth Protector
Bri Baker - 2016
Guard your kingdom2. Produce an heir3. No female protectorsThese rules have been followed for 2,000 years since the consummation of two protectors resulted in the greatest evil the world has ever seen. Until now. Lena is the first female protector since the original five. Born seconds before her half-brother, Anwar, her father has been able to keep her existence a secret from the other protectors. But due to unforeseen events, Lena must work alongside the other four protectors while hiding her true power and keeping a safe distance from the devilish fire protector.
The Madness Vase
Andrea Gibson - 2011
Her fist book, Pole Dancing to Gospel Hymns opened the door to Gibson's unapologetic voice, yet The Madness Vase manages to take an even more intimate look at the subjects of family, war, spirituality, gender, grief and hope. The poems' topics range from hate crimes to playgrounds, from international conflict to hometowns, from falling in love to the desperation of loneliness. Gibson's work seizes us by the collar and hauls us inside some of her darkest moments, then releases out the other side. Moments later, we find ourselves inhaling words that fill us with light. Her luminous imagery is a buoy that allows us to resurface from her world clutching new possibilities of our own. Throughout her career, Gibson's poems have always been a call to social justice. But this collection goes beyond awareness. Her images linger in our psyches and entreat us to action. They challenge us to grow into our own skin. The journey may be raw at times but we are continuously left inspired, held, and certain we are not alone. By the time you finish reading The Madness Vase, you too will believe, "Folks like us/We've got shoulder blades that rust in the rain/But they are still G-sharp/Whenever our spinal chords are tuned to the key of redemption/So go ahead world/Pick us/To make things better."
Plath: Poems
Sylvia Plath - 1987
With their brutally frank self-exposure and emotional immediacy, Plath's poems, from "Lady Lazarus" to "Daddy," have had an enduring influence on contemporary poetry.
Secrets We Told The City: Poems
J.R. Rogue - 2017
Rogue & Kat Savage.
Meditations in an Emergency
Frank O'Hara - 1957
O'Hara’s untimely death in 1966 at the age of forty was, in the words of fellow poet John Ashbery, "the biggest secret loss to American poetry since John Wheelwright was killed.” This collection is a reissue of a volume first published by Grove Press in 1957, and it demonstrates beautifully the flawless rhythm underlying O'Hara’s conviction that to write poetry, indeed to live, "you just go on your nerve.”
How Do I Look?
Sennah Yee - 2017
With pithy, razor-sharp prose, Sennah dissects and reassembles pop culture through personal anecdotes, crafting a love-hate letter to the media and the microaggressions that have shaped how she sees herself and the world. How Do I Look? is a raw and vulnerable reflection on identities real and imagined.
Healing Words: A Poetry Collection For Broken Hearts
Alexandra Vasiliu - 2020
Because everyone sometimes finds themselves within the abyss of feeling alone, heartbroken, or depressed, we all need healing words to pull us out, to give us hope and inspiration, and to bring back the courage to love again. Gather strength from these empowering poems and allow yourself to rise again. One day, you will remind yourself, “I am healed. I am whole. I am worthy of love.”