Tag Archives: Lucille Clifton

Farewell to Serena’s Dominance?

By Robin Bates | Published: January 25, 2019

Friday It was only a quarterfinal match at the Australian Open, but when Serena Williams lost a match in which she was serving at 5-1, 40-30 in the deciding third set, we had a second pillar teetering amongst those that have been supporting the tennis universe.. To borrow from A. E Housman, it felt like […]

Posted in Uncategorized | Also tagged "to my last period", Serena Williams, tennis | Comments closed

All I Needed Was Some Small Light

By Robin Bates | Published: November 7, 2018

After two years of trauma, I feel hope again with the Democrats taking the House. A Lucille Clifton poem captures my sense of relief.

Posted in Uncategorized | Also tagged "man who killed the bear", Democratic women, election 2018 | Comments closed

Imagining Little Ocean’s Future

By Robin Bates | Published: October 22, 2018

Looking for the literary significance of my latest grandchild, I turn to Walcott, Whitman, Masefield, Coleridge, and Byron. What emerges is a mystical seeker.

Posted in Uncategorized | Also tagged "Out of the Cradle Endlessly Rocking", "Sea Fever", "Tales of the Islands", baby names, Derek Walcott, J. D. Salinger, John Masefield, John Milton, Laurence Sterne, Lord Byron, Paradise Lost, Rime of the Ancient Mariner, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, To Esme with Love and Squalor, Tristram Shandy, Walt Whitman, William Blake | Comments closed

Aretha Put a Spell on Us

By Robin Bates | Published: August 17, 2018

Looking for a poem that captures Aretha Franklin’s power and self-confidence, I chose Lucille Clifton’s “homage to my hips.”

Posted in Uncategorized | Also tagged "homage to my hips", Aretha Franklin | Comments closed

Jesus as a Gardener

By Robin Bates | Published: August 5, 2018

Sunday Perhaps I should have saved today’s joyous poem by Andrew Hudgins for the spring growing season since it associates Easter with new growth, but you’re getting it today because I enjoy it so much. To set it up, I’m also posting a poem by Lucille Clifton, which also focuses on Easter fertility imagery. “Christ […]

Posted in Uncategorized | Also tagged "Ascension", "Christ the Gardener", "Kitten", "spring song", Andrew Hudgins, Easter, fertility, gardening, Mary Oliver | Comments closed

Apples That Taste of Earth and Song

By Robin Bates | Published: July 27, 2018

Apples bring out poetic creativity, all the more so because the West has seen them as the forbidden fruit. I share here a selection of tempting apple poems.