Welcome to our fourth and final Poetry Friday. Every Friday of this month, in honor of National Poetry Month, a staff member has chosen a poem that is a particular favorite. This week we present selections from Lisa.
Atmospherics
There is a thin line between the poetry I am drawn to, and the prose that I love to read. More than a clever rhyming scheme, I appreciate pieces that can draw a vivid picture in my mind. In honor of Spring, I’ve decided to select a couple pieces that invoke the strange and beautiful weather that we are often treated to at this time of year.
My first selection comes from Carl Sandburg, a poet who is more commonly associated with Chicago than the Pacific Northwest. Though most likely written about a different harbor on a different coast, I think that Fog could just as easily have been written about a foggy morning in Everett.
Fog – Carl Sandburg
The fog comes
on little cat feet.
It sits looking
over harbor and city
on silent haunches
and then moves on.
Another constant companion during Spring in the Northwest is rain. April Rain Song, by Harlem Renaissance poet, Langston Hughes, fits the mood of the month well.
April Rain Song – Langston Hughes
Let the rain kiss you
Let the rain beat upon your head with silver liquid drops
Let the rain sing you a lullaby
The rain makes still pools on the sidewalk
The rain makes running pools in the gutter
The rain plays a little sleep song on our roof at night
And I love the rain.
Both poets evoke a romantic and whimsical vibe that makes me think of green, damp, waiting Spring – preparing to bust out into Summer, as soon as the fog and rain passes.
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