In this year’s poetry roundup, some of the poets whose collections we discuss are Catholic, some are not. But regardless of their religious commitments, wonder shows up in these poets’ work again and again.
Poetry
Posted inPoetry
Looking for Her
A crocus, impertinent in the March cold: and I’ve found her, winking.
Posted inPoetry
“Americans detained when overheard speaking Spanish”
and I wonder out loud,¿Qué es esto?Since when did bilingualism become a crime?My bones tremble in Spanish, qué miedoand I stuffmy double r’s and my ñ’s in betweenmy cheeks.I hold them hostage.I’d rather them be detained than I. Pero I think of my daughterand I put my immigrant fears aside.I spit out my chewed-up Spanish […]
Posted inPoetry
Digital Vespers
In blue-lit rooms we bow our heads,Not to pray, but to scroll through feedsOf endless information streams—Where once were rosaries, now screensMark time in electronic beads. Each notification’s gentle pingEchoes like a distant chapel bell,While algorithms track our pathsLike ancient monks who kept their mathIn books where sacred stories dwell. Our fingers trace these glass-faced […]
Posted inArts & Culture, Poetry
T. S. Eliot can be intimidating. You should still read his poem ‘Marina.’
Whenever I teach a seminar on T. S. Eliot’s work, I spend the first day of class on ‘Marina.’
Posted inArts & Culture, Poetry
The Half-Life of Longing
Scientists haven’t studied the isotopes of heartache