my english litblog

Last day of school

2005-06-13T12:07:00.000-07:00

I never thought I'd say this, but for the first time, I'm actually bored at school. Nothing to do but hand in textbooks... no last-minute homework to do right before class... I've already read through the entire newspaper! I ask you. What is the point? I wish it was at least summer-like outside, but the weather is stuck somewhere in March, completely grey. It's so depressing...
Hey, I wonder what will become of everyone's blog now that the assignment's over. I might just keep mine, so I can complain to no-one in particular, then complete strangers can read my innermost thoughts online. Yeah, great idea.

Song lyrics as poetry

2005-06-08T11:18:00.000-07:00

Here's some strange surreal poetry by The Doors (plus a freaky picture of Jim Morrison):

morrison
Originally uploaded by Adriana1000.

End of the night

Take the highway to the end of the night
End of the night, end of the night
Take a journey to the bright midnight
End of the night, end of the night
Realms of bliss, realms of light
Some are born to sweet delight
Some are born to sweet delight
Some are born to the endless night
End of the night, end of the night
End of the night, end of the night
Realms of bliss, realms of light
Some are born to sweet delight
Some are born to sweet delight
Some are born to the endless night
End of the night, end of the night

Wow...

2005-06-08T09:27:00.000-07:00

I've been checking out everyone's blogs, and it's interesting that we all ended up with such completely different ones. People posting their own work, writing about authors and books... even music and movies that are poetic! Anyway, that's my thought for the day.

Lawrence Ferlinghetti

2005-06-06T09:51:00.000-07:00

One of the great beat poets of the 50's. Here's a recent poem of his, called 'To the Oracle at Delphi'

Great Oracle, why are you staring at me,
do I baffle you, do I make you despair?
I, Americus, the American,
wrought from the dark in my mother long ago,
from the dark of ancient Europa--
Why are you staring at me now
in the dusk of our civilization--
Why are you staring at me
as if I were America itself
the new Empire
vaster than any in ancient days
with its electronic highways
carrying its corporate monoculture
around the world
And English the Latin of our days--

Great Oracle, sleeping through the centuries,
Awaken now at last
And tell us how to save us from ourselves
and how to survive our own rulers
who would make a plutocracy of our democracy
in the Great Divide
between the rich and the poor
in whom Walt Whitman heard America singing

O long-silent Sybil,
you of the winged dreams,
Speak out from your temple of light
as the serious constellations
with Greek names
still stare down on us
as a lighthouse moves its megaphone
over the sea
Speak out and shine upon us
the sea-light of Greece
the diamond light of Greece

Far-seeing Sybil, forever hidden,
Come out of your cave at last
And speak to us in the poet's voice
the voice of the fourth person singular
the voice of the inscrutable future
the voice of the people mixed
with a wild soft laughter--
And give us new dreams to dream,
Give us new myths to live by!

Read at Delphi, Greece, on March 21, 2001 at the UNESCO World Poetry Day

ode to the mighty muskrat.

2005-06-03T11:47:00.000-07:00

muskrat
Originally uploaded by Adriana1000.

Feel free to comment on this piece of found poetry:

Muskrats are very important
to the wetland ecosystem.
They balance the food web.
Other creatures depend on them,
as they depend on aquatic plants
and other small animals.

The muskrat also
goes by other names, including
musquash or ondatra by the American Indians. It is fondly referred to
as a mud cat or a mud beaver
by other people.

Source: http://www.twingroves.district96.k12.il.us/wetlands/Muskrats/Muskrats.html

Take a seat

2005-06-03T11:39:00.000-07:00

Take a seat
Originally uploaded by Shooz.

I know I should be posting every day, but I'm just incapable.
Here's a random picture of chairs that I found on flickr.com

3 other litblogs

2005-05-31T11:41:00.000-07:00

So far, I've found three completely different genres that could come under the general category of litblog:

The reader's blog: http://fromhelicon.blogspot.com/This is a blog where a whole bunch of people posted their comments on books that they read, and recommended them to other people. Most of the people on the "members" list are boys who live in India, so maybe they know each other, and this is a kind of online book club.

The writer's group advice blog: http://www.splashhall.org/thunder_blog.html This blog mostly has posts from one or two people. It talks a lot about writing, using your blog to find inspiration. It has advice and links to different forums for writers.

The writer's solitary blog: http://homepage.mac.com/taliesin2/iblog/C1592245405/index.html I didn't really like this blog too much. It's basically an archive of a few year's worth of pessimistic poetry by someone who calls themself Shane A. Saylor. Here's an excerpt:

As I gaze into the mirror, I realize

something. I realize I don’t like what I see.

The ugliness inside of me is reflected

back. Water, flowing or not, was humanity’s

first mirror. That is why a mirror is referred

to as Nature’s Glass.

A glass to reflect everything, both of

beauty and ugliness. The mirror holds nothing

back. It does not play favourites to any one.

To do so would be contradictory to its nature.

Not terribly inspired stuff, but this is the kind of thing that pops up when you search for a poetry blog. Most are sort of diaries with some poems thrown in.

litblog is a weird word...

2005-05-26T15:38:00.000-07:00

Oh joy! I have started my litblog, and will soon begin commenting on other people's litblogs.