Category Archives: Poetry

April 17, 2013 · 6:00 am

Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare

much ado about nothing shakespeare

Yeah, I totally read the “Shakespeare Made Easy” edition. Cause DUDE I haven’t read any Shakespeare since middle school (Hamlet) and the teachers basically explained it all and I still don’t remember anything about what it was about. And since I really wanted to know the storyline for when Joss Whedon’s movie version of Much Ado About Nothing comes out, I decided to read something that would definitely help me understand it. I tried to read the real Shakespeare and then look at the next page and read the modern-day lingo, but that was taking forever and really getting in the way of me trying to keep everything straight so I mostly read the translation, and referred to the original lines when I felt like it.

ANYWAYS, so! This is a story about a whole lot of misunderstandings taking place and almost preventing two couples in love from getting married. There’s Benedick and Beatrice, who have a war of words going on that obviously hints to a deeper fondness. And then there’s Claudio and Hero, the quiet couple in love until Claudio is deceived into thinking that Hero’s a hoebag. Dun dun DUUUNNNN!

Yup, didn’t expect the word ”hoebag” in a Shakespeare review, now did ya?

This story is kind of ridiculous, with lots of eavesdropping and confusion and chaos kind of screwing over everything for the characters. BUT I did  totally enjoy it, and I am really, really looking forward to seeing it done in a theater sometime soon-ish. Reading a play is fine I guess, but well, obviously it’s probably more enjoyable when you are watching people act it out. And I SOOOOO can’t wait for the Joss Whedon movie now, although I’m a little disappointed that Nathan Fillion is playing Dogberry (a side character at best that was kind of weird and slightly annoying). I would have liked to see him as Benedick instead, cause he was so sassy.

So hooray, the first Shakespeare I (kind of) read and understood and enjoyed! I probably will go flip through this later and try to absorb more of the real Shakespeare writing.

Sarah Says: 4 stars!

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April 26, 2012 · 3:44 am

Poem In Your Pocket Day

Poem In Your Pocket Day, poetry books

 

Good morning folks! So today, April 26th, is Poem In Your Pocket Day. Find a poem to write down and carry with you all day in the hopes of sharing it with family, friends, or strangers.

I guess this has been going on annually for about 10 years, but this is the first year I haven’t been late to the party. Luckily I put a reminder in my phone, and so I grabbed some poetry books from home and brought them to work with me to look for the poem to carry in my jeans pocket all day.

I wanted a poem that just makes me happy. After browsing through the poetry books above, I finally decided on “Phenomenal Woman” by Maya Angelou, because if there is a happy, sexy, confidence-inspiring poem for women, this is it! I also wrote down this on the same piece of paper:

“Love is a nectar which the brides of dawn

pour for the strong

So that they rise glorified before the

stars of night, and joyous before the

sun of day.”

That’s from Prose Poems, a book of Kahlil Gibran poetry and that was in my Gibran book of love pictured above. I also wanted something love-themed, so I’m cheating and carrying two poems with me today.

So, what poems are you carrying in your pockets today? Leave comments and share! It’s what Poem In Your Pocket Day is all about!

~Sarah

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February 17, 2012 · 3:46 pm

Review: The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran

 

  • Title: The Prophet
  • Author: Kahlil Gibran
  • Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf, 1923
  • Pages: 96
  • ISBN: 9780679440673

 

I’ve finally gotten around to re-reading The Prophet. I’ve been wanting to for some time now, but kept waiting for that perfect spring day when I could read it outside in the grass. But I got tired of waiting for that day (spring’s not for another month or two) and well… I felt like I needed to read something familiar, beautiful, and calming.
 
Wikipedia describes The Prophet as a book of “poetic essays”, and that’s really a perfect fit. The Prophet is about a man named Almustafa, who has lived among a group of people for 12 years but one day a ship comes to take him home. The people of the town ask him to speak on different themes (love, work, beauty, death, etc.), which he does before departing. So each chapter is a different “poetic essay” on those themes.
 
Really, you should read this for yourself – it’s less than 100 pages, so what have you got to lose? It’s spiritual and wonderful and… I have trouble describing it. It’s one of those books that’s just good for the soul, and best enjoyed when you have a nice, quiet hour to yourself.
 
So, since it’s kind of hard to review a book of poetic essays other than just saying “it’s really good”, here are some of my favorite quotes…
 

“For even as love crowns you so shall he crucify you.” (on Love)
 
“And forget not that the earth delights to feel your bare feet and the winds long to play with your hair.” (on Clothes)
 
“And in the summer heat the reapers say, ‘We have seen her dancing with autumn leaves, and we saw a drift of snow in her hair’.” (on Beauty)
 
“For that which is boundless in you abides in the mansion of the sky, whose door is morning mist, and whose windows are the songs and silences of the night.” (on Houses)
 
“And stand together yet not too near together: For the pillars of the temple stand apart, and the oak tree and the cypress grow not in each other’s shadow.” (on Marriage)
 
Those are just a few of the ones I have marked in my book. I feel much better just having read it today… more peaceful and centered. Weird that a book can do that… which is why it’s one of my all-time favorites.
 
Sarah Says: 5 stars

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April 9, 2011 · 4:25 pm

>The Beloved by Kahlil Gibran

>The Beloved,Kahlil Gibran

I love Kahlil Gibran. He had such an amazing way with words. He also loved love. As the blurb on the back of this book says…

“For Kahlil Gibran (1883 – 1931), love was a way – perhaps the supreme way – of achieving self-realization and completeness as a human being.”

Essentially – Gibran was a romantic at heart. I’m totally one of those sappy gals who loves being in love. This book is right up my alley.

This here is a short (about 100 page long) collection of some of his writings, short stories, and poems revolving around love. If you are ever in the mood for some poetry, or for something beautiful and profound-sounding, read Gibran. His most famous work is The Prophet, which I HIGHLY recommend.

My favorite story in this book was probably “Rose al-Hani”, in which a woman defends her choice to leave the rich husband that showered her with wealth and riches for the poor man she truly falls in love with. I actually read it outloud (but quietly) to myself, because it just sounds good that way. Several of these stories also kind of ranted against the materialism of people, and that’s something I can always get behind.

Again, you should read Gibran. He’s awesome. And this book is definitely worth the read. Especially aloud to yourself if you’re alone and don’t mind feeling a little silly.

Sarah Says: 4 stars

And NOW… time to start my 3rd book of the readathon – not sure if it’s going to be Shades of Grey by Jasper Fforde, or a re-read of Bet Me by Jennifer Crusie. Hmmmmm…

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March 28, 2011 · 9:35 pm

>, said the shotgun to the head – by Saul Williams

> So… I believe this is the first book of poetry I’ve ever reviewed here. This is actually a re-read for me: I honestly believe that almost all poetry should be read outside in the grass, but I featured this book yesterday for the “30-Day Book Challenge” on Sarah Says on Facebook and then I started flipping through it and what do you know? I went and re-read it in no time.

If you’ve ever seen the film Slam Nation, you might already know who Saul Williams is – he’s done slam poetry, music, etc. I have all 4 of his books of poetry, and this MIGHT be a favorite. What we have here is essentially one long poem. As Williams describes in the intro to the book,

“Here is the account of a man so ravished by a kiss that it distorts his highest and lowest frequencies of understanding into an incongruent mean of babble and brilliance. “

That’s the idea behind the poem – it’s the result of a mind-shattering, earth-stopping kiss. And as Williams said, it’s both “babble and brilliance”. I love SO many lines in this book, but there are an equal amount that I’m still trying to decipher myself. I think that next time I re-read this book, I’m going to do it outloud (where no one can hear my of course), because after all – Williams is a slam poet and it’s best when spoken. Also to help with that, the book is written is varying fonts, text sizes, etc – kind of a really wonderful visual aid as you read.

Some of my favorite parts:

“she kissed as if she, alone, could forge the signature of the sun”

“learning to love, SHE had forgotten to cry. seldom hearing the distant thunder in her lover’s ambivalent sighs. HE was not honest. SHE was not sure.”

“behold, a story untold I have seen the moon in a sun dress”

Anyways, you should really pick this book up and give it a try. It takes maybe a half hour to an hour to read at most. And how can you not want to read a poem about a man who goes crazy as a result of a kiss?

Saul Williams also has some cd’s out, in which his poems are put to music / hip-hop beats. Here are links to some of my favorite performances – some with music, some not.

performing part of ,said the shotgun to the head – try to block out his awful outfit and fro-hawk

Black Stacey

his performance on Slam Nation

 

Sarah Says: 5 stars

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