Tag Archives: American Poets

Whitman on writing

Posted on July 20, 2022 by Brian D. Butler

“The secret of it all, is to write in the gush, the throb, the flood, of the moment…to put things down without deliberation…without worrying about their style…without waiting for a fit time or place. I always worked that way. I … Continue reading →

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your one wild and precious life

Posted on July 10, 2022 by Brian D. Butler

Who made the world? Who made the swan, and the black bear? Who made the grasshopper? This grasshopper, I mean— the one who has flung herself out of the grass, the one who is eating sugar out of my hand, … Continue reading →

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At midnight, in the month of June

Posted on June 18, 2022 by Brian D. Butler

The Sleeper BY EDGAR ALLAN POE At midnight, in the month of June, I stand beneath the mystic moon. An opiate vapor, dewy, dim, Exhales from out her golden rim, And softly dripping, drop by drop, Upon the quiet mountain top, … Continue reading →

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the lie was the weapon and the plot was empty

Posted on June 9, 2022 by Brian D. Butler

“Either peace or happiness, let it enfold you. When I was a young man I felt these things were dumb, unsophisticated. I had bad blood, a twisted mind, a precarious upbringing. I was hard as granite, I leered at the … Continue reading →

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The Massacre of Innocents

Posted on June 7, 2022 by Brian D. Butler

THE MASSACRE OF THE INNOCENTS William Jay Smith (1946) Because I believe in the community of little children Because I have suffered such little children to be slain: I have gazed upon the sunlight, dazed, bewildered, As is a child … Continue reading →

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June Again

Posted on June 4, 2022 by Brian D. Butler

  by Judy Longley  

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Calmly we walk through this April’s day

Posted on April 22, 2022 by Brian D. Butler

CALMLY WE WALK THROUGH THIS APRIL’S DAY Delmore Schwartz Calmly we walk through this April’s day, Metropolitan poetry here and there, In the park sit pauper and rentier, The screaming children, the motor-car Fugitive about us, running away, Between the worker … Continue reading →

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Be angry at the sun for setting

Posted on April 9, 2022 by Brian D. Butler

BE ANGRY AT THE SUN Robinson Jeffers That public men publish falsehoods Is nothing new. That America must accept Like the historical republics corruption and empire Has been known for years. Be angry at the sun for setting If these … Continue reading →

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forever making poems in the lap of death

Posted on March 7, 2022 by Brian D. Butler

Humanity I Love You Humanity i love you because you would rather black the boots of success than enquire whose soul dangles from his watch-chain which would be embarrassing for both parties and because you unflinchingly applaud all songs containing … Continue reading →

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Who remembers that famous day and year

Posted on February 27, 2022 by Brian D. Butler

On this day in 1807, the poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was born in Portland, Maine. During his lifetime, Longfellow’s poetry enjoyed extraordinary popularity at home and abroad. Many of his poems served as standard recitation pieces in American schools well … Continue reading →

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