Today, I have a poem and a question to share with you. First, the question. I’m looking for recommendations of poetry journals for adults featuring accessible, mainstream poetry. I love Billy Collins, Kay Ryan, Jane Kenyon…so you can see I don’t really go too much for the experimental stuff. Anyway, I’d like to possibly start submitting my adult poems to a few journals, but I’m trying to find out which ones are a good match for me so that I can subscribe and possibly submit. Would you share your favorites that seem to fit this description? Thanks!
And now the poem. Like last week’s Without Rancor, this week’s poem was written during my terrific class at the Loft this past spring. We were asked to write a praise song, and I decided I wanted to praise the downside, the darker side, the sometimes unappreciated side of life.
Without
Without plunging, a waterfall is only a river
Praise the falling, the walling, the surprise of water standing on end
Without sinking, a sunset is only blinding light
Praise the creeping of night and its battle for sky control
Without night falling, the moon just hangs, a pale, cold rock
Praise the backdrop of black, the reflected white glow of sun
Without wintering, summer overstays like holiday houseguests
Praise the sharp freshness of ice, the clean slate before spring
Without dying, life is a treadmill
Praise deadlines and pressure, and the shortness to make time matter
Without ending, the story is unfinished
Praise the anticipation, the fear, the delight of The End
–Laura Purdie Salas, all rights reserved
I also participated in The Miss Rumphius Effect’s Poetry Stretch, and you can see the results of this week’s challenge here. People shared lots of fun haiku riddles!
And the ever-honest and generous Susan Taylor Brown is hosting the Poetry Friday Roundup this week! Head on over and check it out. And have a great weekend!