For St. Paul, conversion was a blinding light. For Sir John Betjeman, it’s more a stumbling and blindly groping affair.
Monthly Archives: April 2022
What Is Conversion?
Posted in Uncategorized Tagged "Conversion of St. Paul", conversion, Invisible Man, Ralph Ellison, Road to Damascus, Sir John Betjeman, St. Paul Comments closed
During War, Poetry a Necessity
In Ukraine at the moment, poetry is not a luxury but a necessity.
Posted in Uncategorized Tagged "That's my home...", Anastasia Afanasieva, Ilya Kaminsky, Ukraine invasion Comments closed
2 Battles: Thermopylae and Mariupol
The Ukrainian defenders of Mariupol resemble the Greeks fighting at Thermopylae, bringing to mind an A.E. Housman poem.
Posted in Uncategorized Tagged "Oracles", A.E. Housman, Battle of Mariupol, Heroism, Ukraine invasion Comments closed
Book Bans Leave Children Defenseless
Parents seek to protect their children through book bans. Instead, they make them more vulnerable to a changing world.
Posted in Uncategorized Tagged Arundhati Roy, Beloved, Bluest Eye, book bans, censorship, God of Small Things, Khaled Hosseini, Kite Runner, Toni Morrison Comments closed
They Fell with Their Faces to the Foe
Binyon’s “To the Fallen” is often cited at war memorials. It is only too applicable to those Ukrainians opposing the Russian invasion.
Posted in Uncategorized Tagged "For the Fallen", Anzac Day, Heroism, Laurence Binyon, Ukraine invasion Comments closed
Different Ways to Pray
In “Different Ways to Pray,” Naomi Shihab Nye expands the ways we can get in touch with the divine.
Earth Day: Enriching the Earth
Wendell Berry’s “Enriching the Earth” is a good poem with which to celebrate Earth Day.
Posted in Uncategorized Tagged "Enriching the Earth", cycle of life, farming, Wendell Berry Comments closed
A Russian Poet’s View of Ukraine
Brodsky’s “On Ukrainian Independence” captures the depth of Russia’s feeling for Ukraine–which explains a lot.
