Because everyone loves a good story
Tolkien, Heaney, and Beowulf
Youth is wasted on the young, and college classes are wasted on college students. When I was a junior in college, I took a History of Modern English class that seemed, at the time, drier than dust and older than dirt. To this day,…
“The Writer”: A Poem by Richard Wilbur
Today I’d like to share with you a poem by Richard Wilbur. If you were around last year on Past Watchful Dragons, you’ll know I shared many of my favorite poems with you then, so we’ll consider today a bonus poem. I found this…
Skyscrapers, Social Media, and Science: C.S. Lewis on “Progress”
Proof number 793 that I’m an old soul: I resonate with a poem that laments the evils of progress…from 100 years ago. On my latest reading of C.S. Lewis’s The Pilgrim’s Regress, I came across this powerhouse of a poem in the last chapter….
“Introduction to Poetry” By Billy Collins
There are two approaches to studying poetry: observation and interrogation. Only one leads to enjoyment. Which will you choose?
In the Bleak Midwinter by Christina Rossetti
“In the Bleak Midwinter” In the bleak midwinter, frosty wind made moan,Earth stood hard as iron, water like a stone;Snow had fallen, snow on snow, snow on snow,In the bleak midwinter, long ago. Our God, Heaven cannot hold Him, nor earth sustain;Heaven and earth…
“Caterpillar” by Christina Rossetti
Were you a caterpillar kid? I know I was. Growing up in Michigan, I loved finding “wooly worms” in the fall. Their black and orange stripes stood out boldly against the dry, brown leaves, and I couldn’t wait to hold them, coiled up into…
“Earth’s Crammed with Heaven” by Elizabeth Barrett Browning
According to Elizabeth Barrett Browning, there are two kinds of people in the world: those who see and those who don’t. We all enjoy the same universe around us, but our reactions depend on whether or not we see God’s signature in the mundane.
Add a comment, and join the conversation!