Derek Mahon
Poem of the Week: “Dans l’étendue/In the distance” by Philippe Jaccottet
In the distance
nothing but shimmering peaks
Nothing but ardent glances
interweaving
Blackbirds and doves
Continue ReadingPoem of the Week: “The Globe in Carolina” by Derek Mahon
The earth spins to my fingertips and
Pauses beneath my outstretched hand;
White water seethes against the green
Capes where the continents begin.
Warm breezes move the pines and stir
The hot dust of the piedmont where
Night glides inland from town to town.
I love to see that sun go down.
Poem of the Week: “It’s easy to talk, and writing words on the page” by Philippe Jaccottet
It’s easy to talk, and writing words on the page
doesn’t involve much risk as a general rule:
You might as well be knitting late at night
in a warm room, in a soft, treacherous light…
Poem of the Week: “Noon at St. Michael’s” by Derek Mahon
Nurses and nuns—
their sails whiter than those
of the yachts in the bay, they come and go
on winged feet, most of them, or in ‘sensible’ shoes.
Poem of the Week: “How to Live” by Derek Mahon
Don’t waste your time, Leuconoé, living in fear and hope
of the imprevisable future; forget the horoscope.
Poetry for Samhain: “The Andean Flute” by Derek Mahon
He dances to that music in the wood
As if history were no more than a dream.
Who said the banished gods were gone for good?