When life gets you down

Happy Wednesday, friends!

I had planned a happier post for today, but sometimes life finds a way to mess up our plans, doesn't it? Anyway, one of the not-so-good curveballs I was thrown over the summer has returned. I don't want to go into specifics because it's kind of hard to talk about, but I'd really appreciate any positive thoughts you can send my way.

Over the years, I've learned that one thing that helps me when I'm down is poetry. Its language is universal, and when we read it, we all take something different away. I find solace in the words of others; I get lost in them and am able to forget (for a time, at least) whatever it is that's bothering me. (And sometimes a little chocolate doesn't hurt either!) When the curveball came yesterday, though, it felt right to lose myself in some poetry, like this piece by former U.S. Poet Laureate Billy Collins:


(Read by Billy Collins and animated by Julian Grey of Headgear.)

Where do you turn when life gets you down?

Wishing us all a wonderful Wednesday. ☺

Now and then

Happy Tuesday, friends!

I hope you're all having a great week so far. I'm glad to say that things are starting to slow down a little here after the last couple of weeks filled with birthday celebrations and family visits. We'll be taking a long trip back to my hometown in a few weeks, but until then, I plan on enjoying a little relative peace. ☺

Last Saturday, my friend Keith at Musings of an Unapologetic Dreamer wrote a great post about the tendency of some people to romanticize the past. Reading it made me think of this very short poem by former U.S. Poet Laureate Billy Collins. In it, Collins expresses an appreciation for the simpler days of "then," preferring them to the busier, more noise-and-image-packed days of "now." What do you think? As you look back on your life, do you find you have more appreciation for simpler times, or do you prefer life as it is now?


(Read by Billy Collins and animated by Eun-ha Paek of Milky Elephant.)

Wishing you all a fantastic Tuesday. ☺

Bringing words to life

Happy Monday, friends. ☺

On Friday I mentioned that I thought my weekend would be busy, and I was definitely right! I missed my Saturday and Sunday posts because of it, and I'm glad to be back today. I hope you all had a great weekend.

Today I'd like to highlight one of my favorite poets, former U.S. Poet Laureate Billy Collins. Like my all-time favorite poet Ted Kooser, Collins writes about everyday life in a very conversational and accessible way. Bruce Weber of The New York Times once called him "the most popular poet in America."

I began reading Collins' poetry a couple of years ago, and during my research, I learned that several artists have worked to create animated videos of some of his poems, bringing them to life even more vividly than the poet's words alone. I'd like to share one of those short videos with you today. I hope you enjoy it.


(Animated by Julian Grey of Head Gear Animation. You can find the poem here.)

Wishing you all a fantastic Monday. ☺

Note: For some reason, Blogger is not allowing me to respond to all of the comments on this post. I appreciate them very much and will be visiting each of your blogs during the next few days. Thanks again.

Bringing words to life

Today is the last day of May and therefore the final day of the Blog Me MAYbe blogfest. I admit I'm a little sad; I've had a great time writing these posts. Still, this morning I'm excited to introduce you to a man who, along with Ted Kooser, has had a great deal of influence on my writing: May I tell you something about Billy Collins?

Billy Collins at D.G. Wills Books, La Jolla, San Diego.
Photo by Marcelo Noah.

Collins is an American poet who served two terms as the U.S. Poet Laureate (2001-2003). He writes about everyday, ordinary aspects of life in a very conversational and accessible way, and Bruce Weber of The New York Times once called him "the most popular poet in America."

I began reading Collins' poetry about a year ago, and during my research, I learned that several artists have worked to create animated videos of some of his poems, bringing them to life even more vividly than the poet's words alone. I'd like to share a few of these short videos with you today. I hope you enjoy them.

"Now and Then" -- read by Billy Collins and animated by Eun-ha Paek of Milky Elephant:

"The Country" -- read by Billy Collins and animated by Brady Baltezor of Radium:



"The Dead" -- read by Billy Collins and animated by Juan Delcan of Spontaneous:




"Forgetfulness" -- read by Billy Collins and animated by Julian Grey of Headgear:

(You can find more of Collins' animated poems on YouTube.)


Do you have a favorite poet or poem? What do you think of animated poetry?

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Photo credit:

Billy Collins. Photo by Marcelo Noah (http://www.flickr.com/photos/10381539@N03/3397761317/) [CC By 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons