Jul 02 2022
Morningside Heights, July Haze. Three student violists boardinga bus. A clatter of jackhammers.Granular light. A film of sweat for primerand the heat for a coat of paint.A man and a woman on a bench:she tells him he must be psychic,for how else could he sense, even before she knew,that she’d need to call it off? …
Jun 29 2022
Our planet’s lush tropics cover 40% of the land, and account for approximately 80% of Earth’s biodiversity, yet it is under constant threat from human activity and climate change. Today is International Day of the Tropics, which was created as a reminder to appreciate and respect our rich, tropical lands. Here is a poem by …
Jun 25 2022
Daisy Time See, the grass is full of stars,Fallen in their brightness;Hearts they have of shining gold,Rays of shining whiteness. Buttercups have honeyed hearts,Bees they love the clover,But I love the daisies’ danceAll the meadow over. Blow, O blow, you happy winds,Singing summer’s praises,Up the field and down the fieldA-dancing with the daisies.
Jun 24 2022
Singer and songwriter Colin Blunstone was born on June 24, 1945, in Hatfield, Hertfordshire, England. In the 1960’s, Blunstone rose to fame as the lead singer for The Zombies, and has also had a successful solo career, making music for over 50 years now. The band formed in 1962 in St. Albans, England, with Colin …
Jun 22 2022
This World Rainforest Day I am celebrating novelist, poet, environmentalist, diplomat, and mother of five, Astrid Cabral, who sings the songs of her Amazon home in her exemplary poetry. Some of Cabral’s most well-known books include Through Water (2003), Anteroom (2007), and Cage (2008). In Cage, Cabral explores the real and symbolic animals of the Amazon. She …
Jun 21 2022
Today marks the longest day of the year, the summer solstice, also known as midsummer and the first day of summer. The sun reaches its highest point in the sky for the year on this day. To celebrate the start of the season, here is a poem by Carl Sandburg, “Back Yard” from The Chicago …
Jun 19 2022
I, Too I, too, sing America. I am the darker brother.They send me to eat in the kitchenWhen company comes,But I laugh,And eat well,And grow strong. Tomorrow,I’ll be at the tableWhen company comes.Nobody’ll dareSay to me,“Eat in the kitchen,”Then. Besides,They’ll see how beautiful I amAnd be ashamed— I, too, am America. -Langston Hughes
Jun 10 2022
“You never have to change anything you got up in the middle of the night to write.” -Saul Bellow
May 20 2022
Film score composer Zbigniew Preisner, best known for his music for the Krzysztof Kieślowski Three Colours trilogy, was born on this day May 20, 1955 in Bielsko-Biała, Poland. Here is his “Song for the Unification of Europe.”
May 11 2022
10 maggie and milly and molly and maywent down to the beach(to play one day) and maggie discovered a shell that sangso sweetly she couldn’t remember her troubles,and milly befriended a stranded starwhose rays five languid fingers were; and molly was chased by a horrible thingwhich raced sideways while blowing bubbles:and may came home with …
