Tuesday Poem: First Birthday & “This is My Heart”
Today is the Tuesday Poem Blog’s first brthday—and we’re having a party: a week-long party in fact, with each of the Tuesday poets contributing a line—or two!—to a “progressive” poem.
To watch the birthday poem evolve, go to the Tuesday Poem hub, here. (Or click on the Quill icon in the sidebar.)
But it’s Tuesday so we still have to have a poem, right? Right!
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But just for a little advance on more poetry goodness first, it’s currently National Poetry Month in the States and over on Tor.com they’re celebrating poetry written by notable SFF writers. Yesterday’s featured poem was John M Ford’s Sonnet Against Entropy. So if you are already a fan of Voyagers Science Fiction Poetry of New Zealand, or either SFF or poetry generally, you might like to check this series out.
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OK, back to my Tuesday Poem …
Yesterday I posted that “Winter is coming …” but right now it’s still autumn and so it feels right to have an autumn poem. So here you are:
.
This is My Heart
Feet pound on pavement,
autumn blows and scatters
leaves across shoes moving
in a welter of russet, scarlet,
bronze: wind gusts, restless
with residual melancholy –
feel the earth’s heart turning
beneath the pale sun, catch
the rhythm through the sole
of every footstep, pulsing
to the brave, wind-blown
brightness of the day:
this is my heart, beating;
this is my heart
.
(c) Helen Lowe
Runner-Up: A2O Poetry Competition (Australia) 2007
“This is my heart, beating;
This is my heart.”
Seems to me you’ve summed up ‘Here’ and ‘Now’ for us all with these words, Helen. Thank you.
Standing in the heart is what it all comes back to. . .
Sending best thoughts your way. xo
Thanks, Claire—& Happy Tuesday Poem birthday!
“the brave, wind-blown
brightness of the day”
is very today, captured magnificently 🙂
Thank you, Alicia.
Happy birthday to your Tuesday Poem Blog.
Thanks, Jacqui—& keep watching the poem grow, here. 🙂
I love the way this one ends. Here’s hoping for more bright autumn days to come, it’s been a little cold this week.
It has, indeed—& made my Monday post of “Winter is coming …” very apposite.:)