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Morning Open Thread: August 28 - Two Poems by Rita Dove on Her Birthday [1]
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Date: 2022-08-28
I try to show what it is about language and music that enthralls, because I think those are the two elements of poetry. – Rita Dove
Good morning everyone and welcome to Sunday’s Morning Open Thread.
Morning Open Thread is a daily, copyrighted post from a host of editors and guest writers. We support our community, invite and share ideas, and encourage thoughtful, respectful dialogue in an open forum. Join us, please.
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Be well, be kind, and appreciate the love you have in your life.
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Rita Dove was born August 28, 1952, in Akron, Ohio; American poet and essayist; winner of the 1987 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry for her book Thomas and Beulah; appointed by Librarian of Congress a U.S. Poet Laureate (1993-1995), the first African-American (after the title change from Poetry Consultant to Poet Laureate), and at age 40, the youngest poet to be appointed Poet Laureate. Her poetry collections include The Yellow House on the Corner, Mother Love, On the Bus with Rosa Parks, and American Smooth.
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Adolescence I
by Rita Dove
In water-heavy nights behind grandmother’s porch
We knelt in the tickling grasses and whispered:
Linda’s face hung before us, pale as a pecan,
And it grew wise as she said:
‘A boy’s lips are soft,
As soft as baby’s skin.’
The air closed over her words.
A firefly whirred near my ear, and in the distance
I could hear streetlamps ping
Into miniature suns
Against a feathery sky.
“Adolescence I” from Selected Poems, © 1983, 1986, 1993 by Rita Dove – Vintage Books
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Dawn Revisited
by Rita Dove
Imagine you wake up
with a second chance: The blue jay
hawks his pretty wares
and the oak still stands, spreading
glorious shade. If you don’t look back,
the future never happens.
How good to rise in sunlight,
in the prodigal smell of biscuits –
eggs and sausage on the grill.
The whole sky is yours
to write on, blown open
to a blank page. Come on,
shake a leg! You’ll never know
who’s down there, frying those eggs,
if you don’t get up and see
“Dawn Revisited” from On the Bus with Rosa Parks, © 1999 by Rita Dove – W.W. Norton & Company
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☕️
Grab your coffee or tea and join us, please.
What's on your mind this morning?
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