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…

Lord of Late Summer: A Poem by Yours Truly

Happy August, friends! I could have sworn that yesterday was May, but here we are. My late-summer flowers are blooming, the weather is scorching, and the cicadas are simply deafening. I love it! While I’m always sad to say goodbye to my favorite time…

“Pied Beauty” by Gerard Manley Hopkins

Today I’d like to point you back to a post I wrote four years ago. It’s about one of my favorite poems by my very favorite poet, Gerard Manley Hopkins. In “Pied Beauty,” Hopkins celebrates the dappled variety of creation in language that does…

Masterful Poems: “Pied Beauty”

I don’t know about you, but springtime always draws me to praise the Creator. It must be something in the air (apart from the pollen). Gerard Manley Hopkins’ poem “Pied Beauty” is a wonderful tool that leads us to praise the Creator of all things dappled.

“Passing and Glassing” by Christina Rossetti

Aging is inevitable, but aging with grace is optional. Rossetti uses mirrors and fading flowers to contrast two views of growing old.

Sail Away: Tolkien’s Frodo and Tennyson’s Ulysses

After their adventures, Tolkien’s Frodo and Tennyson’s Ulysses both longed to sail to the world’s end. What caused this longing, and did they find what they were looking for? Let’s find out!