Originally posted on Frank Hudson:
It’s taken me a few days to write this post after learning of the death of Minnesota poet Kevin FitzPatrick. After someone dies, someone you know at some level, there’s an emptiness. While it’s impossible to feel emptiness, it may be the first obligation of grief to hold that sense…
It’s taken me a few days to write this post after learning of the death of Minnesota poet Kevin FitzPatrick. After someone dies, someone you know at some level, there’s an emptiness. While it’s impossible to feel emptiness, it may be the first obligation of grief to hold that sense for a little while. Was … Continue reading Four Things I Learned from the Poetry of Kevin FitzPatrick
It’s time to look back at the last quarter and see what pieces were the most liked and listened to during those months. I released (or re-released) 51 pieces since March 1st here, more than enough to return to our regular multi-post Top Ten countdown format, so let’s present numbers 10 through 8 today as … Continue reading Spring 2022 Parlando Top Ten numbers 10-8
I’ve mentioned previously that our poetic colleague Kevin FitzPatrick, who died last autumn, often wrote poems about work. Here’s one of them from his final collection Still Living In Town. Kevin titled his poem “To Whom It May Concern,” and in performance I took a line from the poem and recast it as a refrain, … Continue reading To Whom It May Concern (Carry Them Away)
If I didn’t read the news, it would still be spring. I’ve mentioned it’s been hard to produce new pieces here recently. While there’s a variety of reasons for this, here’s one: I’d planned a little series on May flowers. I was inspired by my wife’s love for our native northland wildflowers and some gorgeous … Continue reading Dickinson’s “Bloom”
The world of this poem is scribed with the understanding that when you’re on a lake’s surface you are at the boundary level of two worlds. Like unto angels in Medieval drawings, those fishing are pulling the fish from the aqueous world into the sky world, and I often felt I could sense the hooked … Continue reading It’s been hard to complete new work recently, so “Anglers” for Minnesota’s Sport Fishing Opener day.
Here’s an old American joke I recall. “No one knows the words to the second verse of the National Anthem.” “Sure they do.” “Oh? What’s the second verse then?” “Play ball!”* We continue our celebration of National Poetry Month while tipping our hat to American Baseball’s Opening Day. Marianne Moore’s poem “Poetry” seemed fitting, not … Continue reading Marianne Moore’s “Poetry” for National Poetry Month
Let me start out by saying I think that today’s poem is a fine piece of writing capable of making its listener think anew. “The Wall Around Heaven” is satire. Satire has two dangers: that one will take its audaciousness as a literal program or doctrine, or that one will laugh simply at the outrageousness … Continue reading The Wall Around Heaven (for Larry Williams)
Today let’s examine the place of hands and humor in poetry and music. Let’s start with hands, before we turn to the subject of humor and a poem about farming.* You just heard alternate Parlando Project voice Dave Moore last time here, but besides letting you get a break from my vocals, Dave has played … Continue reading Coyotes
Given the everything I’d rate between losses, troubles, and mere distractions I’ve gone through since late last autumn, I’m not in a mood this week to do the traditional Parlando Top Ten list for the past season. These are the same issues in repertory that have reduced the number of new pieces I was able … Continue reading Winter 2020-21 Parlando Top Ten (abbreviated edition)
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