tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20429083.post450087841900905661..comments2024-03-19T05:26:04.770-04:00Comments on A Year of Reading: Poetry Friday: "A Portable Paradise"Mary Leehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09078793537148794310noreply@blogger.comBlogger15125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20429083.post-9390063396906265432020-11-09T01:48:11.363-05:002020-11-09T01:48:11.363-05:00Lots to think about here, Mary Lee! Thanks :-)Lots to think about here, Mary Lee! Thanks :-)Tabathahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14367572663591077922noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20429083.post-6301847301468020382020-11-08T20:37:14.552-05:002020-11-08T20:37:14.552-05:00Thanks for the links, Mary Lee. I read through you...Thanks for the links, Mary Lee. I read through your post and links and left a message or so I thought-NOT, so I am back again. The poem, A Portable Paradise, is amazing and this quote clarity. "His deft language helps us understand that paradise is a quality of life; and, even deeper than that, paradise is your life." I was listening to Mary Oliver reading her poems at one of the podcasts and it was just a peaceful experience so I look forward to listening to more podcasts. Carol Varsalonahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02589714711155938528noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20429083.post-68869393694172044482020-11-08T10:23:12.650-05:002020-11-08T10:23:12.650-05:00I love the idea of carrying Paradise always on my ...I love the idea of carrying Paradise always on my person. I especially loved the final lines of this poem: <br /><br />"And if your stresses are sustained and daily,<br />get yourself to an empty room – be it hotel,<br />hostel or hovel – find a lamp<br />and empty your paradise onto a desk:<br />your white sands, green hills and fresh fish.<br />Shine the lamp on it like the fresh hope<br />of morning, and keep staring at it till you sleep." Thanks for this, Mary Lee. Karen Edmisten https://www.blogger.com/profile/04446214835142625161noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20429083.post-52565659913760457182020-11-08T02:49:36.269-05:002020-11-08T02:49:36.269-05:00So much to think about in this poem, and reading i...So much to think about in this poem, and reading it makes me think about black lives lost, taken, stolen. I also really appreciated the commentary. Thanks for all and your activism with your students!michelle koganhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16409095111952431780noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20429083.post-25734590884001509682020-11-07T12:37:07.657-05:002020-11-07T12:37:07.657-05:00Thank you for sharing this moving poem--and a new ...Thank you for sharing this moving poem--and a new podcast for me to listen to. I think I would have missed that change of point of view if you had pointed it out. And I love your metaphors for your class--umbrella, light bulb and bridge--kids need positive activism, we all do!susanbruck.comhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14622383204401655375noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20429083.post-77830175007919100472020-11-07T09:52:23.706-05:002020-11-07T09:52:23.706-05:00Wow! There is so much in your piece today! I love ...Wow! There is so much in your piece today! I love the idea of holding paradise close so as to receive comfort and prevent so one from taking it. I also love how you pointed out the shift in pronouns (so apropos at this time). And, finally your work with students! I was just thinking about how different poetry is when read out loud. Thank you for engaging them in this way! Lots of food for thought here! Thank you! Carol @ The Apples in My Orchard.jlcjbuzzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16790798402432484057noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20429083.post-81234224019909909992020-11-07T08:58:02.537-05:002020-11-07T08:58:02.537-05:00Stealing another's paradise - an utterly haunt...Stealing another's paradise - an utterly haunting realization. Surely a great dichotomy, an impossibility, to carry one's own paradise within while stealing it from others ... seems the twain should not meet. And, oh, the sensory images in Robinson's lines! The grandmother- the fount of wisdom (mine was) and the idea of smelling the piney scent of one's own paradise in a handkerchief - reminds me of the stories of plague in London, how people doused handkerchiefs with cologne before going into the filthy, stench-filled streets... thank you for sharing and inspiring this sheltering portable paradise, Mary Lee.Fran Haleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05295033583781089018noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20429083.post-55858211183807741032020-11-07T08:13:08.301-05:002020-11-07T08:13:08.301-05:00Wait--the Slowdown is ending? I only just started ...Wait--the Slowdown is ending? I only just started listening to it! I love your three metaphors, Mary Lee, and your careful thinking about this poem. It reminds me a bit of Billy Collins' poetry--not in voice at all!--in the way the focus goes from small and personal and specific to a larger, more inclusive, deeper meaning as it progresses...laurasalashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13807781795919555208noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20429083.post-47821460928182732412020-11-07T08:08:50.725-05:002020-11-07T08:08:50.725-05:00Mary Lee, thanks for sharing that amazing poem and...Mary Lee, thanks for sharing that amazing poem and its analysis. I was fascinated by the shift in pronouns and the significance of the hinge line. Your metaphors hold importance in life and the search for hope. I would love to see your students finding poems in Google Meet. I am going to explore Poetry Unbound thanks to you. Carol and Richard Varsalonahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04562577595496526665noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20429083.post-78698179693948462762020-11-06T21:40:27.248-05:002020-11-06T21:40:27.248-05:00Oh, that sounds wonderful for your students to pic...Oh, that sounds wonderful for your students to pick a poem from Amy's shelves, Mary Lee. And the poem, for every one of us. & to remember. Thank you!Linda Bhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14983144542632353870noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20429083.post-56745281465526201162020-11-06T19:01:17.989-05:002020-11-06T19:01:17.989-05:00How is it that your posts always jar me into actio...How is it that your posts always jar me into action? I really need to get back to poetry podcasts. Thanks for this thoughtful reflection and for also reminding me of Amy's archives. I need to remember that I'm not alone in this work. Margaret Simonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04434866104385187658noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20429083.post-91031208663869044562020-11-06T16:53:10.594-05:002020-11-06T16:53:10.594-05:00Paidric O'Tuma can keep me thinking for hours....Paidric O'Tuma can keep me thinking for hours. What a lovely, lovely poem. Thank you for sharing it. Whenever I tune into Poetry Unbound I immediately, physically relax a bit. Poetry is medicine. Linda Mitchellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00833034575304594924noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20429083.post-29542001260685900462020-11-06T12:11:09.985-05:002020-11-06T12:11:09.985-05:00I share your sadness about The Slowdown, and your ...I share your sadness about The Slowdown, and your appreciation for Poetry Unbound! Thanks for this poem. Ruthhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12463332371535167975noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20429083.post-84567329306243652052020-11-06T10:45:39.024-05:002020-11-06T10:45:39.024-05:00Thanks so much for sharing Robinson's poem and...Thanks so much for sharing Robinson's poem and for your life affirming observations. Love your three metaphors! YES to positive activism.jamahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07859083373087448194noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20429083.post-82567475464261549972020-11-06T08:17:22.660-05:002020-11-06T08:17:22.660-05:00Paradise is your life. I love that! And I apprecia...Paradise is your life. I love that! And I appreciate that shift in pronouns, too, and what it means... love thinking of your students prowling around in Amy's poem archives! xoIrene Lathamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04905936104127707762noreply@blogger.com