Thursday, April 30, 2015

Thank you

Hello, my friends. Thank you for coming and celebrating Poetry Month with me this April. I hope you all continue reading and writing poetry.

Here is our last poem of month. It has a melancholy feel which fits my mood for the day. Enjoy.

Nothing Gold Can Stay by Robert Frost.

Nature’s first green is gold,
Her hardest hue to hold.
Her early leaf’s a flower;
But only so an hour.
Then leaf subsides to leaf.
So Eden sank to grief,
So dawn goes down to day.
Nothing gold can stay.




I will see you tomorrow for May Day.

Shellsigna

Wednesday, April 29, 2015

All the letters I can write by Emily Dickinson



All the letters I can write
Are not fair as this --
Syllables of Velvet --
Sentences of Plush,
Depths of Ruby, undrained,
Hid, Lip, for Thee --
Play it were a Humming Bird --
And just sipped -- me --
- Emily Dickinson


Shellsigna

Tuesday, April 28, 2015

Rondeau by Jessie Redmon Fauset





Rondeau

When April's here and meadows wide
Once more with spring's sweet growths are pied
I close each book, drop each pursuit,
And past the brook, no longer mute,
I joyous roam the countryside.

Look, here the violets shy abide
And there the mating robins hide-
How keen my sense, how acute,
When April's here!


And list! down where the shimmering tide
Hard by that farthest hill doth glide,
Rise faint strains from shepherd's flute,
Pan's pipes and Berecyntian lute.
Each sight, each sound fresh joys provide
When April's here.

- Jessie Redmon Fauset





Shellsigna

Monday, April 27, 2015

A Summer Love Poem by Nikki Giovanni



A Summer Love Poem
Clouds float by on a summer sky
I hop scotch over to you
Rainbows arch from ground to gold
I climb over to you
Thunder grumbles, lightning tumbles
And I bounce over to you
Sun beams back and catches me
Smiling over at you

- Nikki Giovanni


Shellsigna

Thursday, April 23, 2015

Happy Shakespeare Day

Happy Thursday, my friends. I hope you are enjoying Poetry month here. It has been a treat to share poems that I love and new ones that delighted me. Today is also Shakespeare Day aka Shakespeare's Birthday.

I have talked about good old Will before here. And how I adore his sonnets. Today, I'm going to share not one of poems, one of his pieces from one of his most famous plays: Romeo and Juliet. I love Juliet's speech .


It is a beautiful piece full of longing, desire and love. This is from Act 3, scene 2. Here is Juliet's speech read by me. I know some of Juliet's speech, not all of it. I did this spontaneously, I hope you all enjoy it.



Here is the text below to follow along.


Gallop apace, you fiery-footed steeds,
Towards Phoebus’ lodging: such a wagoner
As Phaethon would whip you to the west,
And bring in cloudy night immediately.
Spread thy close curtain, love-performing night,
That runaway’s eyes may wink and Romeo
Leap to these arms, untalk’d of and unseen.
Lovers can see to do their amorous rites
By their own beauties; or, if love be blind,
It best agrees with night. Come, civil night,
Thou sober-suited matron, all in black,
And learn me how to lose a winning match,
Play’d for a pair of stainless maidenhoods:
Hood my unmann’d blood, bating in my cheeks,
With thy black mantle; till strange love, grown bold,
Think true love acted simple modesty.
Come, night; come, Romeo; come, thou day in night;
For thou wilt lie upon the wings of night
Whiter than new snow on a raven’s back.
Come, gentle night, come, loving, black-brow’d night,
Give me my Romeo; and, when he shall die,
Take him and cut him out in little stars,
And he will make the face of heaven so fine
That all the world will be in love with night
And pay no worship to the garish sun.
O, I have bought the mansion of a love,
But not possess’d it, and, though I am sold,
Not yet enjoy’d: so tedious is this day
As is the night before some festival
To an impatient child that hath new robes
And may not wear them. O, here comes my nurse,
And she brings news; and every tongue that speaks
But Romeo’s name speaks heavenly eloquence.

PS. I know some people are having trouble hearing the audio, click on the word Juliet here. This should work hopefully


Shellsigna



Wednesday, April 22, 2015

Like the Sweet Apple by Sappho




Like the sweet apple that reddens
At end of the bough--
Far end of the bough--
Left by the gatherer's swaying,
Forgotten, so thou.
Nay, not forgotten, ungotten,
Ungathered (till now).


Shellsigna

Monday, April 20, 2015

Song of the Open Road by Walt Whitman

From the ‘Song of the Open Road’




From this hour I ordain myself loos’d of limits and imaginary lines,
Going where I list, my own master total and absolute,
Listening to others, considering well what they say,
Pausing, searching, receiving, contemplating,
Gently,but with undeniable will, divesting myself of the holds that would hold me.
I inhale great draughts of space,
The east and the west are mine, and the north and the south are mine.

I am larger, better than I thought,
I did not know I held so much goodness.

All seems beautiful to me,
I can repeat over to men and women You have done such good to me I would do the same to you,
I will recruit for myself and you as I go,
I will scatter myself among men and women as I go,
I will toss a new gladness and roughness among them,
Whoever denies me it shall not trouble me,
Whoever accepts me he or she shall be blessed and shall bless me.


Shellsigna

Friday, April 17, 2015

The Pool by HD (Hilda Doolittle)


The Pool by HD (Hilda Doolittle)



Are you alive?
I touch you.
You quiver like a sea-fish.
I cover you with my net.
What are you - banded one?


Shellsigna

Wednesday, April 15, 2015

Canary Poem by Rita Dove



Billie Holiday's burned voice
had as many shadows as lights,
a mournful candelabra against a sleek piano,
the gardenia her signature under that ruined face.

(Now you're cooking, drummer to bass,
magic spoon, magic needle.
Take all day if you have to
with your mirror and your bracelet of song.)
Fact is, the invention of women under siege
has been to sharpen love in the service of myth.
If you can't be free, be a mystery.
- Rita Dove



Shellsigna

Monday, April 13, 2015

Dream Variations by Langston Hughes



Dream Variations

To fling my arms wide
In some place of the sun,
To whirl and to dance
Till the white day is done.
Then rest at cool evening
Beneath a tall tree
While night comes on gently,
Dark like me-
That is my dream!

To fling my arms wide
In the face of the sun,
Dance! Whirl! Whirl!
Till the quick day is done.
Rest at pale evening...
A tall, slim tree...
Night coming tenderly
Black like me.

- Langston Hughes

Shellsigna

Friday, April 10, 2015

Happy Friday

Happy Friday, my friends. Here is a great picture of actress Tamara Dobson. She has been a favorite of mine way back. Must do a post about her soon. Her picture gave me that warm happy feeling. Hope she does the same for you.


Whatever went wrong this week for you, let it go. Whatever went right this week, celebrate that! Focus on the good in your life. What you focus on is sending a loud vibration of yes to the world. Make sure the Yes you focus on is full of the people, places, events and things that naturally make you happy and fulfilled.

Have a great weekend.
Shellsigna

Thursday, April 9, 2015

Afternoon on a Hill by Edna St. Vincent Millay



Afternoon on a Hill

I will be the gladdest thing
Under the sun!
I will touch a hundred flowers
And not pick one.

I will look at cliffs and clouds
With quiet eyes,
Watch the wind bow down the grass,
And the grass rise.

And when lights begin to show
Up from the town,
I will mark which must be mine,
And then start down!
- Edna St.Vincent Millay


Shellsigna

Monday, April 6, 2015

April Rain Song by Langston Hughes


Let the rain kiss you
Let the rain beat upon your head with silver liquid drops
Let the rain sing you a lullaby
The rain makes still pools on the sidewalk
The rain makes running pools in the gutter
The rain plays a little sleep song on our roof at night
And I love the rain.
- Langston Hughes



Shellsigna

Saturday, April 4, 2015

Pink Moon



In the spring twilight
the full moon is shining:
Girls take their places
as though around an altar
- Sappho

Happy Full Moon, my friends. There is a lunar eclipse as well today. The Pink moon glows in the sign of Libra. All my Libra ,moon and sun, babies this a special moon for you. Libra energy for me is about balance and beauty. Ask yourself during the weekend where am I feeling balanced in my life? Where in my life do I feel more beautiful or see the beauty around me? Look at what's working this weekend and how you can bring that in more areas of your life.

Wishing you all a happy Lunar filled Easter weekend.

P.S. If you have any poetry you write that you like to share, please e-mail me at Jettswan@gmail.com, I love to do a reader filled poetry post.


Shellsigna

Wednesday, April 1, 2015

Happy Poetry Month

Happy April, my friends. It is National Poetry Month here in America. I'm going to share favorite poems of mine including one or two I wrote myself! If you like poetry and/or write poems, please let me know. I can feature it right here on Swan of Dreamers. Let me know in the comments below or email me at Jettswan@gmail.com.

Here is one of my free form poems to kick of the month.



Bliss is this
Feeling glowly
Mind Free
Hair Free
Watching blue sky...



Shellsigna

Wordless Wednesday: Spring