The Crow
Crows are thought to be among our most intelligent birds. Despite past attempts to exterminate them, crows are quite common in farmlands, towns, and cities. They are sociable, especially when not nesting. Crows gather in communal roosts, sometimes with thousands or even tens of thousands of crows roosting in one grove.
The Dove
The Dove The graceful, slender-tailed, small-headed dove is common across the continent. Mourning Doves perch on telephone wires and forage for seeds on the ground; their flight is fast and bullet straight. Their soft, drawn-out calls sound like laments. When taking off, their wings make a sharp whistling or whinnying. Mourning Doves are the most […]
The Hummingbird
Art song. Hummingbirds are small, with most species measuring 3–5 in in length. They are specialized for feeding on flower nectar, but all species also consume flying insects or spiders. Each of the 17 hummingbird species that breed in North America builds slightly different nests in various habitats although all hummingbird nests have much in common.
PEACE
This short poem describes a deep and profound love. It is filled with beautiful imagery, which makes it a classic. I have interpreted it here as a hymn.
A Jelly-Fish
“A Jelly-Fish” is a short poem by Marianne Moore (1887-1972), one of the foremost poets in the modernist movement emerging in the early part of the 20th century. The poem contains elements of the fragmentary, disjointed verse style that was poetry’s equivalent of the cubist paintings of Picasso.
Desiderata
The word desiderata, which means “things wanted or needed,” often evokes this famous poem by Max Ehrmann. Written in 1927, the poem is about how to live your life well.
IF by Rudyard Kipling
‘IF’ is a type of didactic poem. Considered to be the most inspirational poem ever written, It contains advice about how to become an ideal human being.
Grass, by Carl Sandburg
This deeply moving poem addresses the horrors of war and human kind’s responsibility to never forget them. In the first lines of the poem the grass asks that it be allowed to do its job — covering up the countless bodies and numerous battlefields all over the world.
The End and the Beginning
Nobel Prize winning Polish poet Wislawa Szymborska writes about the horrors of war in terms of the adjustments people must make after the war has ended.
The Garden of the Self
In this poem the garden, or nature is used to illustrate a deeper meaning – to give us insight into our essential Self.
The Garden of the Soul
A self-descriptive, meditative poem about connecting with nature (or the garden) through art, as an expression of the soul.
Holy Relics
I wrote this poem about the experience you have when you sense you are in a sacred place, or when you are walking on holy ground.
The Color of a Song
The Color of a Song, by Alexandra Dickerman During this past year of isolation, when we were unable to attend concerts or go to church or museums or out to restaurants, so many sensory experiences were denied to us. This poem is about sensory experiences— and how they might sometimes overlap.
Song of the Sea amd Sky
Song of the Sea and Sky, by Alexandra Dickerman During this past year of quarantine and isolation, we have been going to Ocean Beach , especially when the big waves are forecasted—for fresh air and long walks, and to feed the birds. Recently, I was struck with the sense that we’re all in this together.
Song of the Sacred Tree
The Song of the Sacred Tree, by Alexandra Dickerman, 2021 Certain special trees are considered to be sacred, in mythology and in many religions all over the world. Rooted in the earth, reaching skyward, nourished by the elements, and interconnecting with other trees through their complex root systems, trees provide a metaphor for patience and […]
Thirteen ways of Looking at a Blackbird
“Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird” by Wallace Stevens,1954. This poem consists of thirteen separate haiku-like fragments, or vignettes, each of which references a blackbird in some way. As the poem’s title suggests, these fragments feature different perspectives in the form of fleeting experiences. (In some cases I have taken poetic license and interpreted […]
The Psalmist, part 2
This is the second stanza of “A Psalm of Life,” by American poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. It is meant to inspire its readers to live actively, and to not regret the past, or to take the future for granted: “Learn to labor and to wait.” I broke the poem into two pieces to keep the […]
The Psalmist, part 1
This is the first stanza of “A Psalm of Life”, by American poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807-1882). It is often subtitled “What the Heart of the Young Man Said to the Psalmist.” The poem is meant to inspire its readers to live actively, and to not regret the past, or to take the future for […]
Hope
Hope is the thing with feathers, by Emily Dickinson, 1830-1886. This poem honors the human capacity for hope, portraying it as a bird that lives within the human spirit, singing in good times or in bad.
Invictus
Invictus ” Invictus” is a short poem by the English poet William Ernest Henley (1849–1903). It is an example of the Victorian attitude of stoicism, which is often considered a British character trait. Invictus is a cultural icon.
Ozymandias
Ozymandias, by Percy Bysshe Shelley, 1818. The name Ozymandias means “a tyrant, a dictator, a megalomaniac.” The message of this poem is that power is temporary, even that of great rulers who may believe their power to be immortal.
The Raven
” The Raven” by Edgar Allen Poe, 1845, is noted for its lyrical and fanciful language, and its eerie atmosphere. It tells of a mysterious visit to a man who has lost his lover, Lenore.