Poetry Friday

One of the best things about subscribing to online poetry magazines is that I wake up every morning to poems in my inbox!  I always look forward to discovering poets who are new to me. This week, The Writer's Almanac published "The Fence Painter" by Richard Jones.  I liked the poem a lot and decided to search the archives and internet to read more of his poems. I realized that althougth I hadn't recognized the poet's name, I had indeed read and enjoyed his work. Today I'm sharing one of my favorite poems by Richard Jones from his collection The Blessing.

Why do poets write?


My wife, a psychiatrist, sleeps
through my reading and writing in bed,
the half-whispered lines,
manuscripts piled between us,

You can read or listen to the rest of the poem here, and read more Richard Jones' poems here.
Enjoy more poetry gems over at A Teaching Life.

Poetry Friday: Old Friends

One of the best things about summer vacation is having time to visit with old friends. Last night, I was looking through some boxes of books and came acorss The Bat Poet by Randall Jarrell.  The Bat Poet is one of the friends I turn to when I need to be reminded to be myself.

I love this story.  Every time I read it, I see connections I hadn't noticed before.  The main character is a little brown bat who struggles through inner conflict trying to find his voice. At first, he imitates the mockingbird, who he admires for her songs, but he soon realizes that imitation is not answer. When he finally decides to express himself in a way that only he can, he begins to discover his own true self.

 I've been spending a lot of time this summer trying to find my writing voice. I read writers I admire and try to learn from them.  Like the little bat, I often tend to compare myself to others who are more talented and successful.  And, at times I even try to imitate them which is always a disaster because I