Asian Poetry - China and Babies and Winnie the Pooh

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I've been thinking about something to do,
I've been thinking about
Mao Tse-Tung and Lao-Tzu;

breathing deep, whispering breeze,
wind blowing softly underneath wandering feet,
a horse that is galloping at fullest of speeds;

trying to concentrate all my intent,
life's mysterious
windy, twisting, turning sharp bends;

I've been thinking about a sunset
with no beginning or end;
butterflies flying inside of a dream-
did I dream the butterfly or did he dream of me?

I've been thinking about something to do,
just thinking,
like a meandering stream,

tranquility's waters,
swaying, brown, gentle trees, mistiest mountains,
blue-gray harmonious green;

I've been thinking all day of Winnie the Pooh,
what does it mean the path of Kung Fu, a wise owl
and Lao-Tzu too,

Five pecks of rice elixirs of life,
Dragon and Tiger mountains
and Four or Five books of life;

I've been thinking about the Tao and Te Ching,
about a silent song
not to sing,
and also about the mother of ten thousand things;

I've been thinking about babies and Buddhas
and something to do,
but whenever I start
I don't even begin to get through,
I've been thinking all day
of Winnie the Pooh,

thinking of filling
the cup up past the brim, I've been thinking about
a sunrise with no beginning or end;

I've been thinking of a letter
I'd rather not send, of retiring when
the work comes to an end

I've been concentrating as hard as I might
to think of nothing
throughout the twilight
nothing at all
is what I intend
walking silently
with my one friend;

I've been sitting here
silently under a tree,
awaiting a vision
I'd hoped might come to be;

I've been thinking of yes-
at the same time thinking of no,
I've been thinking about a place
I might possibly never go;

A hundred flowers blooming simultaneously,
a hundred schools teach
contending to be,
a mysterious song
of harmony;

a dulcimer player
playing his fingers and strings
passionately,
in a subway station in New York City;

a bus riding to the top and winding its way
through Newark's twisting streets
of dangerous turns
at the end of the day,

in the path of the bus's middlest alleyway,
people standing
and sweating,
counting the days;

thinking about a road and way through a path,
I've been thinking about
harmony's orderly,
musical, virtuous craft;

I've been looking at everything
in perfect place,
and of five thousand words
and a buffalo's back, a buffalo's face;

I've been thinking all day
of something to do,
of Buddha and babies and Winnie the Pooh
of all life's reflections
in harmony,
of the gentlest breeze
that might touch
the gentlest leaf.

China and Babies and Winnie the Pooh This story incorporates the elements of Chinese religion and philosophies, and is also drawn from the ideas presented in the book The Tao of Pooh, by Benjamin Hoff (Penguin, 1982), which documents the striking parallels between the Chinese religion of Taoism and the story of Winnie the Pooh. The characters of Winnie the Pooh and their rhetoric parallel closely the cadence and tone of the holy writings of Taoism. Winnie the Pooh was released as a book in 1926, but seems to have been actually written towards the end of WWI by A.A. Milne. The book was illustrated by an associate, Ernest A. Shepherd, who worked with Milne on a satirical political newspaper prior to WWI. The characters look much the same as with what we are familiar, from the children's movie produced in 1966 by Disney (who bought the rights to Winnie the Pooh from Milne's widow). There were a total of four Pooh books in the series that were originally written.

Dawn of a New Discovery: Inspiring World Poems Edited by John Scott with Jane Statlander, Ph.D., Miami Dade College

This is a small collection of poems, original and from several sources, that is hoped to inspire interest in writing and reading poetry. The poetry presents a kaleidoscope of ideas concerning lands, spirituality, children and youths, oppression and violence, school life and struggles, as well as painting a picture of hope.

World Poetry

Dawn of a New Discovery. 384 pages. Paperback. Over 20 poets represented, past and present.

Some Keywords in "She Dwelt Among the Untrodden Ways"

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"None" and "very few" mean two entirely different things, and unless we grasp the exact nature of the difference between them in this context, we shall not be within a hundred miles of properly understanding the poem. Wordsworth is telling us that although there were indeed a "very few" people who loved Lucy, those few ever think of praising her. He is quite definite about this - "a maid whom there were none to praise." the love of these people for Lucy, then, seems not to have involved feeling that she had any special distinction.

Reasons for this are given in the second stanza. Her beauty was of a singular inconspicuous type, like the beauty of a solitary violet barely visible beside "a mossy stone"; or like the beauty of one single star, which would never be noticed in the sky full of other glinting points of light.

Now, the question arises whether the poet himself is or is not to be included among the "very few" who loved Lucy without thinking her worthy of praise. The obvious interpretation would be that he is the solitary exception that he, of course, valued Lucy at her true worth all along. The last stanza, especially the last line might seem to suggest this.

Wordsworth, according to this interpretation, is singling himself out. The "few" who knew the time of Lucy's death are doubtless the "very few" who loved her, or at any rate include those persons. And the poet might appear to be telling us that he alone was genuinely affected by the event. In that case it must be assumed that her death makes such a "difference" to him precisely because his regard for her has always been of a unique kind. The second stanza would thus be taken as expressing the "praise" which he was the sole person to bestow upon her.

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Interpretations in "She Dwelt Among the Untrodden Ways"

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One of the interpretations in this work, however, is not only possible, but even more probable. I had said Wordsworth is quite definite about there having been none to praise Lucy. If he says "none" he must be allowed to mean it. If we give full weight to this "none", we are forced to conclude that the poet himself is to be counted among the people who loved Lucy without her.

It is now that the words "she lived unknown" begin to sound with a new reverberation. emphasis comes to be placed on "lived", and the words can be interpreted as meaning not only that she lived without any kind of renown, but that while she was alive she was not really known by anybody6, including the poet, for what she truly was. It is only now that she is dead, now that what was taken for granted has vanished from the familiar scene that he realizes the value of what he has lost.

Some readers may object that a poem, which can be given two such interpretations, cannot be said to have used language with precision. To an objection of that kind, the best reply is that precision does not necessarily involve meaning one thing and one thing only. The poet is concerned here with a human experience, a human experience of more complexity than appears at the first sight.

To make us feel the full force of the experience, he packs as much meaning as he can into an extremely small pace. That this compression leaves us guessing about the poet's valuation of Lucy while she was alive is not to be accounted a weakness, since a degree of uncertainty on this score is itself part of the experience that the poem sets out to communicate. The ambiguity of the poem, therefore, paradoxically does make for precision, as it is a means of putting the experience before the reader as fully and disturbingly as possible.

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Are Poets Born Or Made?

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Poetry is one of the most beautiful literary artwork that man has ever made. Aside from its rhyme and rhythm, it has also figurative languages and idiomatic expressions. It also portrays sensory images which the writer tries to reveal through his wonderful and colorful words. Because of these characteristics, poetry does not only entertain but also provokes critical and creative thinking among readers.

To better appreciate poetry one must know what poetry is. Poetry is defined in various authors. One of the most notable definitions of poetry is the definition of Aristotle which says that poetry is an imitation of arts. To explain it further, Aristotle explained that there are three different ways of imitation which are the medium, object and the manner of imitation. There are various medium of imitation such as voice, color, rhythmic movement and so on. Another way of imitating is through a specific object. In Aristotle's point of view, the object of imitation is the man in action and this is either from the lower type or the higher type. In this context Aristotle is referring to the characters in tragedy and comedy whereby in tragedy man is portrayed to be good while in comedy man is portrayed to be bad. The last is the manner of imitation. For Aristotle this is by narrating whereby the narrator takes the second person in which he acts on the shoes of others. Other than that, he can also take the first person in which he doesn't change himself. Lastly, narrator can also present his actors living the audience. Another known poet is William Wordsworth who "Poetry is the breath and finer spirit of all knowledge; it is the impassioned expression which is in the countenance of all Science." This only means that poetry manifests knowledge and that poetry reading is worthwhile.

On the other hand, poets are very much admired because of their powerful minds that they can perceive things in a various ways. For instance, they perceive the tree like human beings that prays to its creator with its leaves upward as its arms. In this example, it is very much evident that poets go beyond what an ordinary mind can reach. That is why they are sometimes referred to as the minds of the gods.

Another thing that makes them admirable is their choice of words and that made poetry different from prose. In poetry, the poet must choose the appropriate words in order for him to portray the sensory images that he wants his readers to hear, see, touch, feel and taste. Aside from that, poets should be intelligent enough in the use of figurative languages to convey his intellectual ideas. He can also make use of allusions to convey historical images.

As a matter of fact, there is an argument whether a writer or a poet is born or made. For many people they would argue that writers are born because of their unique ability to weave their words. Unlike other people, they can touch ones life and provoke ones thinking through their powerful words.

On the other viewpoint, some would claim that writers are made. For the reason that in their early childhood, they are not that good in writing and they are not even interested in writing. But as they grow up, they are motivated to write due to some reasons. At first, they are not that effective but as the years passed, they are gradually becoming at ease in writing and more effective as the others do.

From all these views, it can then be concluded that whether or not the writers are born, it is the role of education to bring out that unique potentials within and among our people.

Herb likes to write about literature. Please check out his website that contains water hammock information as well as hanging a hammock information.

Anhthao Bui's Flowering Talent

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Ms. Anhthao Bui's poetry collection, "Yellow Flower," begins with a quotation from Emily Dickinson: "If I feel physically as if the top of my head were taken off, I know that is poetry." This sense of other-worldliness describes this reviewer's reaction upon reading Bui's collection. In 88 pages divided between ten concise chapters, Bui reveals numerous and seemingly-contradictory aspects of herself and her life. Her poetry is deeply personal, but the themes she deals with are universal.

The back cover of the book details the events of her life. She came to the United States from Saigon, Vietnam in 1996. Poems such as "Four Times" describe struggles that any immigrant can relate to.

The beauty of Bui's poetry resides in this dichotomy between the personal and the universal. Each chapter deals with some aspect of her life, from the heartache of love gone bad to the triumph of learning and new beginnings. Her love of the United States is expressed in poems such as "America." To view our country through the eyes of a gifted immigrant such as Bui is a moving experience. Many of the experiences she describes in Yellow Flower have been experienced by millions, but we as readers can relate to her poetry on an individual basis.

Is Bui the "Yellow Flower" of her book's title? This is an apt metaphor. These poems reveal a woman who is beautiful and sensitive, but simultaneously resilient and dignified. Like the flower on the cover of her book, Anhthao Bui is a survivor. Yellow Flower is a deftly-conceived poetic portrait of a woman's life.

Ms. Bui's poetry is, like the poet, sublimely beautiful. Her book is available online from http://www.AuthorHouse.com and http://www.Amazon.com.

William Wordsworth - A True Lover of Nature

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Nature has always been an inspiration to the poets. They have personified the moon as a silvery lady and the greenery as a lady of spring. William Wordsworth, a famous poet of the Romantic Age has related most of his poems to nature. As the second child among five siblings, he was always encouraged by his father to read poems. He read poems of great poets like John Milton, William Shakespeare and Edmund Spencer. Their verses in a way captured the mind of little William Wordsworth at a very tender age.

Lyrical Ballads, The Preludes and the Lucy Gray are considered as one of the most famous verses of William. Three of them were written at different stages of his life; Lyrical Ballads was published in the year 1789. It actually is a collection of several poems written by him and four by Samuel Taylor Coleridge.

The Preludes, was published after his death by his wife. It is like a semi autobiography describing his early life which he did modified at times with the help of his sister Dorothy Wordsworth.

Lucy Gray an imaginary character of William Wordsworth is divided into five works. This pseudo character was a part of William's loneliness. Among all his works William Wordsworth had a great affinity for this character. According to one of the critic, William Wordsworth "created the character, lived with it and cried on her death".

Among all his beautiful poems the most convincing work is about River Yarrow. In this poem he refers to the river giving a true picture of life. In his poem Yarrow Unvisited he was scared to visit the valley thinking about the sadness that could overshadow him if it fails to match his inception. He heard much about the heavenly place and drew pictures of vivid imaginations in his mind.

On his visit he was surprised to see that the place was beyond ingenuity. In his piece Yarrow Visited, he commented that 'the things of reality are far more beautiful than things of imagination'. He was however not satisfied with his first visit and hence he again visited the place which he described in Yarrow Revisited.

Visit the section of poems by William Wordsworth [http://www.coralhub.com/William-Wordsworth-Selected-Poems-Wordsworth-William-Gill-Stephen/76251] and float in nature. Enjoy the beauty of his poems and visualize the dreams inspiring them.

Naresh R is a passionate writer and loves to try new ways of expressing nature and other realities through words. In all her articles she has made an attempt to present something which is new and worth admiring.

Punjabi Poetry Books - Portrayal of Punjabi Culture

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When we talk about Punjabi culture, lots of things come to our mind such as Punjabi music, cuisine, dance and traditions. But one thing that is simply unforgettable is the poetry. The sophistication of this culture and its influence can be easily seen in the Punjabi poetry books. Its history dates back to 11th century when first literature was found in the fragments of old writings. Interesting? Let's dig some more about it and its relevance with the vast Punjabi culture.

Punjabi poetry, in its nascent form, emerged under patronage of Shah Sharaf, Ali Haider, Shah Hussain and Bulleh Shah, as Sufi poetry. Over the time, it has undergone several developments and what we read today is the modern poetry. Most of these books are full of rich traditional verses that bring the true Punjabi culture in front of you. It was first written in Mahajani Script, derived from Sanskrit, when there was no official script for Punjabi language. Later on, when second Sikh Guru Angad Devi Ji invented the script Gurumukhi, it gave a new direction to Punjabi literature and poetry.

Some of the eminent poets who have taken the Punjabi poetry to new horizons are Amrita Pritam, Mohan Singh, Pritam Singh Safeer, Bawa Balwant and Santokh Singh Dhir. Additionally, some of the eminent poets of modern era are Shameel, Harcharan Singh Gill, Parminder Musafir, Shiv Kumar Batalvi and Sukhwinder Amrit. All of these have contributed to the development of Punjabi poetry books in their own ways.

Punjabi poetry started blossoming right from the British Raj in India, which focused on Indian freedom movement and nationalism. The credit of adding diversity into Punjabi poetry books goes to Mohan Singh, Chatrik and Puran Sigh, whose poetry added a flavor of modernism, romance and Sensuality. Modern Punjabi poetry books clearly reflect the far long journey by the poets.

Some of the popular and interesting books written by these authors include:

Kafian Bulleh ShahDiwan-e-GalibKafla Turda RihaKali Gaani Mitran DiKhamban wala GhoraYadaan Di MehakBulleh Shah- Jeevan Ate RachnaMain Te MainTere Te Mere SupnePanth Khalsa ZindabadPanj Nadian Da Geet

If you'll take a keen look at these books, you will find that how meticulously these depict the Punjabi culture, history and reforms. Now if you are keen to learn more about Punjabi culture, don't forget to read these Punjabi poetry books. I hope you will not be disappointed!

Harish Jain is a well known author and owner of Unistar Books, an international publishing house having books in Punjabi, English, and Hindi and occasionally in Urdu. He has authored several books of different genres. Visit http://www.unistarbooks.com/ for any type of books.

About the Poem "Design" From Robert Frost

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In the fifth line of the poem "Design", an invisible hand enters. The characters are "mixed" like ingredients in an evil potion. Some force doing the mixing is behind the scene. The characters in themselves are innocent enough, but when brought together, their whiteness and look of rigor mortise are overwhelming. There is something diabolical in the spider's feast.

The "morning right" echoes the word rite, a ritual - in this case apparently a black mass or a Withces' Sabbath. The simile in line seven is more ambiguous and harder to describe. Froth is white, foamy, and delicate - something found on a brook in the woods or on a beach after a wave recedes. However, in the natural world, froth also can be ugly: the foam on a polluted stream or a rabid dog's mouth. The dualism in nature - its beauty and its horror - is there in that one simile.

So far, the poem has portrayed a small, frozen scene, with the dimpled killer holding its victim as innocently as a boy holds a kite. Already, Frost has hinted that nature may be, as Radcliffe squires suggests, "nothing but an ash- white plain without love or faith or hope, where ignorant appetites cross by chance". Now, in the last six lines of the sonnet, frost comes out and directly states his theme.

What else could bring these deathly pale, stiff things together "but design of darkness to appall?" the question is clearly rhetorical; we are meant to answer, "Yes, there does seem an evil design at work here!" I take the next-to-last line to mean, "What except a design so dark and sinister that we're appalled by it?" "Appall", by the way, is the second pun in the poem: it sounds like a pall or shroud. Steered carries the suggestion of a steering-wheel or rudder that some pilot had to control. Like the word brought, it implies that some invisible force charted the paths of spider, heal-all, and moth, so that they arrived together.

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Opening Heart on "The Death of A Daughter"

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The Death Of A Daughter
(The Trinet- Book Review)

Cherished Memories
Daveda Shares
In the "Death Of A Daughter"
Beautiful Pictures in color to enhance
Times Shared together in love
Excellent Book

True story
Mother shares
From her heart she speaks out
Love lines to her daughter "Lanie"
keeping her in her heart
Mother's love

With tears
She writes
Beautiful words of comfort to daughter
Poems that float up to Heaven
Embracing a daughter's dear heart
Daveda's Poems

No one likes to experience the death of a loved one. Especially a daughter at a tender age. In this newly release book Daveda Grubers shares with us her story and some events that lead to her daughters's death.

This is a sad and emotional story that Daveda shares with her reading audience. Bringing a healing to herself and also to others who have gone through such an experience. It was not easy for Daveda to put this story into writing but through much prayer she felt it was time for her to release this book.

Through the tears of a mother she shares with us what the devastation of favoritism can have in a relationship. Lanie being her father's only child learned "that he had placed her as number seven on his list as he prayed for family members". This was very devastating to her. She later shared this account with her mother.

She (Daveda) captures Lanie's life on each page with her colorful pictures and also beautiful poetry. The purple butterflies brings such tranquility as the reader floats from page to page reading her story.

She captured her story well in this beautiful book of color.

A must to share with family and friends...

Windows of Light Shining With Love - Awesome Autobiographical Poetry Book!

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This is such an awesome book of poems written by Patricia Ann Farnsworth-Simpson. In some sense, it's written with a touch of historical background, which one could consider as an autobiography. She discusses her two weddings, the passing of her first husband, and praises for her wonderful children. Being married to her second husband, Tony, for forty-eight years, is such a great blessing to Patricia and her family. Patricia demonstrates a great amount of joy and love for her family members and her parents. Her pets are also a part of the family, as she demonstrates with pride in her poem, "All Our Pets in Heaven."

This poetry book also includes a variety of poetic forms. One of the most striking is, "Patricia's Harmony." The coining of this form comes from Christina R. Jussaume, Patricia's friend and another great poet, who has written a variety of poetry books. The poem starts with peace and ends with love. Patricia's poem, "When Two Hearts Beat as One," speaks to the essence of love. It also ends with, "Love makes the world go round."

"Now and Then," is written in the quatrain format with a wonderful rhyming sequence. Her reflection is wonderful and addresses her garden, karaoke singing, her friends around the corner, and wonderful words from her granny. "Growing Pain" parallels the above poem; it also reflects on life, and speaks to how life moves along in different growing stages.

Her love for God speaks with such grace throughout the book in a variety of poems. Her faith highly articulates her outlook and love for God. Her praise flows with great reverence and grace; thus demonstrating her faith for God. The Gard-Angels healing group, currently in France is also a pillow of strength to her soul.

The motifs she uses throughout the book are just wonderful. Each one also enhances the poem it represents and brings out their themes in a clear fashion. Patricia is the founder of Poetry and Publishing, which is in the UK. She is currently helping poets around the world with publishing their poem and poetry books. This is an awesome book to read. It demonstrates great motivation and consists of praises for her Creator.

Joseph S. Spence, Sr. (aka "Epulaeryu Master"), authored "The Awakened One Poetics" (2009), published in seven languages, "A Trilogy of Poetry, Prose and Thoughts for the Mind, Body and Soul," and "Trilogy Moments for the Mind, Body and Soul." Joseph is a Goodwill Ambassador for Arkansas, and is a US Army veteran.

http://www.TheAwakenedOnePoetics.com/

Music of the Twentieth Century - An Awesome Anthology Helping Haiti

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"Music of the Twentieth Century" reflects with the rising sun molding its golden splendor of uplifting rays on the earth and its diversity of clay, thus stimulating it to sparkle in pure and illustrious light, may each sentient soul experience such an uplifting blessing of life, light, and love without deprivation from any source. The awesomeness of such a shining and magnificent majesty has linked the hearts of poets across the world to intercede in the gap for Haiti with this inspirational poetic anthology.

The Poets Worldwide has experienced the quite moment of appreciating such a true and quality sense of being. Accordingly, their response is in honoring that unearned gift by actually being enlightened in the moment. Such enlightenment is reflected with this anthology of inspirational poetic lines regarding music and musicians from the twentieth century, which is in honor of Haiti in support of the earthquake victims as a fundraiser to help them.

The essence of the poems in this anthology should bring out the quality of the soul in each reader and supporter. It should appear like ascending Jacob's ladder with the sweet sounds of inspiration from chromatic scales on the tongue; like walking around Jericho's walls with a crescendo of percussion musical notes in flats and sharps; like dipping in the River Jordon with pianoforte stimulating the soul with a notable light sparkling in the eyes for greater understanding of the universe.

This terrestrial visualization of life and the labyrinth it traverses begs the question in the realization of Haiti. It causes us to pause and breathtakingly reflect upon the essential quality of love, life, light, and liturgy, which the poets worldwide send to all who read this compilation from noted and inspired poets to benefit the earthquake victims of Haiti.

The altruistic spirit of inspired poets worldwide has a mission of encouragement instead of discouragement; celebration instead of bare toleration; building up instead of tearing down; and enlightening others instead of reflecting darkness. Such articulations one ought to find in this poetic anthology of life to help the earthquake victims of Haiti.

The goodness they impart on others in uplifting their souls, inspiring their spirits, relieving their pain, washing away their salty tears, and giving them once again the motivation to live, love, and laugh instead of crying, dying, and fighting for crumbs will stimulate new life in our universe. As always, may the power of the omniscient, omnipotent, and omnipresent One be with each reader and supporter in imparting this blessing and understanding for the betterment of humankind.

Joseph S. Spence, Sr. (aka "Epulaeryu Master"), authored "The Awakened One Poetics" (2009), published in seven languages, "A Trilogy of Poetry, Prose and Thoughts for the Mind, Body and Soul," and "Trilogy Moments for the Mind, Body and Soul." Joseph is a Goodwill Ambassador for Arkansas, and is a US Army veteran.

http://www.TheAwakenedOnePoetics.com/

Shakespeare Love Poems - Sonnet 130 Analysis

Another of the most famous Shakespeare Love Poems, Sonnet 130 is strange when you first look at it. It shows Shakespeare seemingly in conflicting minds about his mistress (the dark lady)... The other poems he writes are descriptive, compare with the way he describes the fair youth in sonnet 18. However, its is indeed a satire in nature and there are clever facets to this poem. He talks about the mistress as having lots of bad qualities, bad breath, hair frizzy, dull complexion... But in the end, the writer still loves her.

1st quatrain

Straight away the tone is set, and the writer compares the mistress as being nothing like the sun (the sonnet fair youth in compare with "gold complexion" of the 18). He seems to be criticising or even mocking her, with the next lines. It almost seems like the writer is confession of pitying the mistress and is almost ashamed of himself for being with her. The writer says "her breasts are dun" showing that her skin is dark and dull, and white skin was perceived as beautiful at the time. He describes her hair as black wires, and again black hair was seen as common and not beautiful. This first quatrain is strange and seems to have a certain lack emptiness and lack of emotion coinciding with it.

2nd quatrain

The writer continues to criticise her, saying there is no colour in her cheeks, and that her breath smells bad. Its poems continues to sound hollow and sad... At this point we still do not know where this poem is leading... The next quatrain reveals all

quatrain 3 rd

"I love to hear her speak The 3rd quatrain opens with"... This is typical of Shakespeare's style to completely change the tone at the start of a quatrain. Is an honest compliment "Hear her review, I love's to speak", and may be starting to convey the idea that for all her outer faults, It is the mistress's inner beauty that the writer loves. However the the next line seems to go back being derisive and harsh... "But music hath pleasing in a more sound" It leaves us wondering why he has so suddenly gone back to being negative about the mistress... "My mistress is no goddess The next 2 lines seem to say"...

But to understand this we must understand the contemporary poets of the time for example, Thomas Watson, Michael Drayton, and Barnabe Barnes... They all wrote over-the-top, a highly romanticised sonnets, with lots of from elaborate description and they were not really honest. In sonnet 130, Shakespeare has given an honest description. The writer is saying what he truly sees and feels about the mistress... This is completely unlike the much earlier sonnet 18 where the writer seems to be wearing rose tinted glasses and describes the "fair youth" with all manner of descriptive adjectives.

Shakespeare is satirising and almost making a mockery of his contemporary writers. From He thinks they look silly by always by being so over the top and elaborate (a bit like how the media nowadays sensationalises all their stories), and slates them for their dishonesty.

People do not want to be complemented on qualities they do not really have... If you have tanned skin, and you do not want to be complemented on how white and fair your skin looks, "Wow your skin is a lovely shade of caramel" but maybe you would like to be complemented in such as a way as... Here, although the writer seems to criticise the mistress at times, he is really complementing her on qualities she really does have.

Final Rhyming Couplet

The writer ends the poem with a confession of love. For all her strange qualities which he has listed int the poem before, He still loves her. It is interesting to note that in Shakespearean English, the word belied can mean falsely represented and also sexually mounted. As this whole poem is a satire, Shakespeare could be subtly accusing his rival poets of coercion, using flattering words to get their mistresses in bed.

Here is sonnet 130, another of my favourite Shakespeare love poems, with the quatrains already separated for you to make it easier to read.

Sonnet 18

1st quatrain

My mistress ' eyes are nothing like the sun;

Coral is far more red than her lips ' red;

If snow be white, why then her breasts are dun;

If hairs be wires, black wires grow on her head.

2nd quatrain

I have seen roses damask, red and white,

But no such roses see I in her cheeks;

And in some perfumes is there more delight

Than in the breath that from my mistress reeks.

quatrain 3 rd

I love to hear her speak, yet well I know

That music hath a far more pleasing sound;

I grant I never saw a goddess go;

My mistress, when she walks, treads on the ground:

Final Rhyming Couplet

And yet, by heaven, I think my love as rare

As any she belied with false compare.

Sonnet 130 is one of the most clever Shakespeare Love Poems... It is interesting to see all the different facets of Shakespeare poetry, and this poem can be interpreted 2 ways... You can compare this with the simple description in Sonnet 18.

Hi! I'm Cluivee, and I'm interested in all things Shakespeare! I especially enjoy reading and writing about Shakespeare love poems and the famous Shakespeare love sonnets. If you want to know more about Shakespeare love poems, check out my site at http://www.shakespearelovepoems.com/

http://www.shakespearelovepoems.com/Shakespeare-love-poems/sonnet-130-analysis

Poetic Biography of an American Baby Boomer - Author - Daniel B Royer - Book Review

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I will write this review, with the same type of view, of the book by Daniel B. Royer, one of life's poetic voyeurs. As he traverses the earth, from the day of his birth, he talks of the incidents, including losing his innocence. The stories of his life, witted sharp as a knife, are intriguing and enjoyable, as he becomes very lovable. A man with a dimension, of sensitivity and passion, he brings his readers along, to his life's verbose song. One of wisdom and pain, at times quite insane, but along the way readers learn sooner, he's quite the baby boomer.

This is the unique style of Daniel B. Royer's prose in his poetic auto-biographical collection of verses encompassing his book entitled Poetic Biography of an American Baby Boomer: Conover Drive. His style at times was very reminiscent of the famous Dr. Seuss, without of course the green eggs and ham and silly made-up words of the Doctor's imaginary world. Daniel B. Royer's world is not imaginary at all, but descriptively recalled to the minutia of detail, then put to the beat and pentameter of creative poetry with his signature style. A very pleasant and relaxing pace of interesting antidotes chronologically orchestrated to play out in a time line of his life's encounters, his book brings the reader to have an inner smile while reading due to his humor laced throughout his sentences.

Rather a terse book, he recounts about 70 incidents comprising self-actualizing impact to his character development. Each verse is a page or less in duration. I found this book to be very enjoyable, light and humorous. Daniel B. Royer is a wordsmith extraordinaire, and his work is a product of the Mid-Western American culture in which he was raised during the time of the post war era of the Baby Boomer generation.

The cover of his book shows a personal photograph of a modest house with melting snow outside, however with the appearance of being the home to a family of normal values due to the groomed hedges and layered window coverings. It is most likely the home in which Daniel was raised, in the small town of Bay Village, Ohio. As the Poetic Biography of an American Baby Boomer is a collection of individual verses, it can be picked up, read, put down, and started again without losing any impact, therefore a great book for temporary time opportunities. This book would be a welcome table top adornment to a waiting room, or as a gift. I would hope Mr. Royer continues his articulation of his life in subsequent collections of verses.

Reviewed by: Gary R. Sorkin

Gary R. Sorkin is the Senior Editor for Pacific Book Review. Please visit Pacific Book Review at:
http://www.pacificbookreview.com/

On Wordsworth's "She Dwelt Among the Untrodden Ways"

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AppId is over the quota

This tiny poem, like so much of Wordsworth's, is simple only in appearance. Its language is so lucid and "ordinary", that once the reader has found that the dove is a ricer in the north of England, there would seem to be no obstacle to understanding. Surely Wordsworth is telling us that there was once a maid called Lucy, who lived in a remote place, who has a certain type of unostentatious beauty, and who is now dead. He certainly is telling us these things, but there is more to the whole business than at first meets the eyes.

If the reader concentrates upon the meaning, upon what the words are actually saying, two interesting points will rise. Consider first of all the opening lines of the final stanza: "She lived unknown, and few could know/when Lucy ceased to be". A curious problem here arises with regard to the words "unknown" and "know". If Lucy really did live "unknown", in what ways is it possible to suppose that even "few" could "know" the time of her death?

Taken in the most literal sense, the lines are absurd, since nobody at all could know when a genuine unknown person "ceased to be". It is obvious, then, that as Wordsworth presumably does not mean to be absurd, he must be using the verb "to know" in two different senses. What he is saying may be clumsily explained as follows: Lucy was a person who lived quite without any kind of renown. When she died, only a few people could have been aware of the event.

There is, however more to be said about the lines in the light of what we are told in the first stanza: "a maid whom there were none to praise, and very few to love." understanding Wordsworth's meaning depends upon a sharp distinction between "none", and "very few". It is all too easy to blur this distinction, and read the lines as though Wordsworth had said "a maid whom there were few to praise." such a lazy construction of his words will not do.

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Voluspa - A Symbolic Cross - Section of an Ancient Norse Religious Poem Part 1

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AppId is over the quota

What I find immediately most compelling about Freya Aswynn's translation of the Voluspa is that the first few stanzas are mysteriously missing from any other translation I have come across. This prologue, for so it seems to be, identifies the speaker as a magic user and lists what appears to be credentials for her in that guise. She tells us of her renown, not only to human agencies, but also among the Aesir. The seeress' power, it seems comes from knowing Odin and from receiving his gifts of jewelry and wisdom. She knows where his eye is hidden, and where Heimdal's horn is also hidden. Both are power objects to the gods. The eye of Odin represents in this case the power of clairvoyance (as we know Odin sees all from his throne) granted to the seer, while the Gjallerhorn represents the power of clairaudience (as Heimdal not only hears the hair growing on the backs of sheep, but is able to warn the Aesir of the impending doom of Ragnarok). From these proclamations we are led to trust the word of the Seer as truth, for her knowledge comes directly from the Aesir themselves. The final catch phrase of the stanza "well would you know more?" not only implies that the Seer's wisdom is vast but also echoes a challenge to defy her knowledge, or to test her. A challenge which, it is probable, would be dangerous to make.

The next stanza begins the Voluspa proper, or rather, the section most often quoted by translators. It begins with a call for silence, identifying her audience as the many peoples of Midgard. Heimdal's excursion as Rig shows us that all people are descendants of the same gods, or rather that the DNA of the gods has made its way into every social class through interbreeding with divine beings. The Seer tells us that Odin is asking her to relate tales to us from as far back as she can remember. As the tone of the tale related suggests that all of history is being here explained, we can assume that not only the span of human history is explained, but also that she is digging back into her own memory to the earliest things that were there contained, i.e.) the first gleanings of childhood. It is no surprise in that context that we come across references to 'giants who fed me in former days'. Who are these giants? A moment of reflection in honesty gives us a vision of our own parents hovering over our crib: nameless masses of google-eyed drooling idiocy poking and fawning over us with their faux baby-talk giving us food when we cry and changing our diapers. These ancestral beginnings are also related to the open endless void of Gunningagap, which can be correlated with the primal whirling of Kether in the KBLH or the 'Alaya Vijnana' of Buddhism. In this place, things are devoid of form, quality or even differentiation. There are no 'things' as it were. No objects, thoughts, or images, but only the open endlessness of the void. Bur's sons are then depicted as being responsible for the creation of Midgard. They are the creative forces in nature manifesting a conception of the world around the developing child whose eyes have just seen the forms surrounding them. There follows a state of confusion, where the elements of the world represented by the planets, stars and sun are in the sky, but have no idea what their proper place is. By relating this process to similarities in the Qabalistic tradition, we see things moving through the primary triurnal from Kether through the creative forces of Chokmah (where Bur's sons give the primal energy of the void impetus towards creation) and into form in Binah. At this stage, there is still no order to the movements of these planets (that will come in Chesed) and the planets are depicted as being in a state of chaos. This is also reflected in the Taoist tradition as the movement of primal energy out of the state of Wuji (void) into the primary duality of Yang and Yin (force and form respectively).

There is a council depicted in the stage of ordering the universe. It seems that the ancient Nordic Peoples in their practice of Althing were able to conceive of a reality governed by consensus rather than the divine ordination common to systems influenced by middle-eastern hierchical thought where one central being dictated what was to happen to all the rest of creation the same way that the pharaoh dictated the laws of the land to his servants. The gods can be thought of as superior to humanity, but from another point of view, all of creation in this sense takes into consideration the input from every quarter. This implies egalitarianism despite the cultural tendency to think of the Allfather as being chief. This point of view implies a partnership based relationship with the divine rather than one of servitude. From that point of view, the gods are not superior, but rather relate to another sphere of influence than does humanity, and both need each other in order for the universal law to be properly enacted.

The Aesir build their temple on Idavoll. Idavoll is significant for two reasons, one is from its name, and the other due to its surviving Ragnarok. Lindow translated Idavoll as "shining field", "shimmering field", "eternal field", or "field of pursuits [of the gods]". The fact that this field can be present even when all the rest of the universe is destroyed puts it in a place of importance. That coupled with the fact that the Aesir build their homes there before and after Ragnarok suggest that it may be a metaphor for some basic ever-present aspect of mind. Building a temple there implies that a sense of reverence has entered the consciousness of the world-being. Pair that knowledge with the thought that the gods are next shown building forges, making tools and playing games and we get an image of the child moving from the self-centered toddler stage of development, into a more adult stage of learning skills and trades.

Next follows the process of socialization: that of meeting with others and becoming aware of the greater community around the developing being. This is first indicated by the arrival of three "Thurs maidens". Unfortunately nothing more is said about these maidens, aside from a side comment about their pride in their own strength, so it is difficult to know exactly what they may have represented to the ancients, though a runester would relate their title to the 'thurisaz' rune and think of them as either a threat or a protective force. The process continues through the creation of the dwarves, and here we see the skills of manual dexterity and creativity becoming primarily important. It is even suggested through the reference to "who of the dwarves should mould man by master craft" that there may be dwarves associated with different trades who could become teachers to child apprentices, giving them their place in later life once mastery of their craft has been accomplished. Of course we know that it was no dwarf who made mankind, but the sons of Bor, so in this I interpret another meaning of the word 'mould' than the creation of the species that may be read initially. If this is true, then the list of dwarves' names may indicate guild heads, but as there is not enough information to make a definite statement on the subject, I will leave it as an intuitive suggestion for someone with more knowledge to follow up, disprove, or create.

With the onset of pubescence we find the three sons of Bor returning to Midgard to breathe life into a pair of trees. Up to this point the universal child has been solitary, but now he is dual, for the purpose of finding joy in uniting, one may surmise. Ask and Embla, the ash and the elm are given three qualities by the gods. Breath, senses, blood and life fill the wood which we can imagine is then uprooted and begins to walk around. The fact that Yggdrasil, the world tree, is mentioned directly after this may have been indicative of a break in the dialogue, but may also indicate that the world tree and the two animate trees that become the proto-man and woman are to be correlated with the world tree. This fact is supported by the notion that the ash tree that becomes the first man is also of the same species as the world tree. We see in this the similarity between the world outside and the world within. "The microcosm is the macrocosm" as the old adage has it, or "as above, so below". In that we find that the nine worlds on Ygg's steed are both real places present in the world outside of ourselves, but are also states within each individual. Each one of us is a complete map of the entire cosmos, although we may walk in only one of the worlds at a time.

Nestled into the roots of the tree is the well of Urd. This is interesting as it seems to place the unfolding of fate in a location present within each individual. This is quite similar to the concept in Chinese medicine of the 'jing' which is a form of prenatal 'chi' or energy which determines, with other factors, the length of our lives, our overall constitution and the basic state of our physical inheritance. The three Norns are present at the well, each playing their own role in the unfolding of our lives. It goes beyond saying that the three Norns are common characters in almost every European pagan tradition, in different guises and under different nomenclature. They seem to relate to the unfolding of time as the moment changes. In each moment there are three aspects that seem immediately apparent: the moment itself, that which led to the moment, which is experienced as memory, and that which the moment is becoming, which may be little more than the projection of memory's patterns into the realms of apprehension or hope. The three of them determine the laws that rule over both men and gods. They are similar to the Buddhist concept of karma, in that all beings in the world of illusions are controlled and shaped by their decisions. Not only that, but also in that what we can experience of the world around us is inevitably shaped by the form of our unconscious projections. The Norns are the forces that shape those projections and so they control everything that we can perceive. This may not be as fatalistic a concept as immediately apparent, as one always has the choice to see through the illusion into the boundless light of the empty void. One of the thulur refers to the Norns as "those women who shape what must be". The word for shape here is "skapa" which contains a connotation of fatality, furthering the link between the Norns and the inevitable forces inherent in the story of the worlds.

There are three Norns, as we have stated above. Their names are Urd, Verdandi and Skuld. Urd is very close to the past tense of the verb "verda" ("to become"), changing the meaning to "became" or "occurred" depending on whether you consider processes to be nouns or verbs. The same word in Old English becomes "wyrd" which is defined as "the person, principle or agency by which events are determined" in its oldest rendition, though also contains the idea of 'outlandish' or 'otherworldly' in modern usage. This in itself refers to the uncanny action of the Norns in general, in the manner in which they cause things to be and the feeling of almost supernatural urgency that they bring on through realizing their influence. It is a feeling which can be taken as terror, or awe depending on one's proclivities and level of trust in the unknowable. Verdandi is the second Norn. Her name is directly cognate with the present tense of 'verda' and can be thought of as the unfolding of karma in the moment of presentation. She is perhaps the realest of the Norns, or at least the most present. The other two deal with the projections which act as scaffolding for her energy, while she deals directly with the form of illusion which can be touched. With this in mind, it is taken that Urd begets Verdandi, just as Verdandi begets Skuld. That is, what became turns into what has become which in turn will move on into Skuld's realm. 'Skuld' may be derived from the verb 'skulu' ('is to be' or 'will happen') placing her as both the ruler of what the mind sees when looking forward from the present moment, but also in the place of the ender of life, considering that the most inevitable event in any process is that what has undergone a beginning must also endure an ending. It is also of note that in Fafnismal, the dying Fafnir tells Sigurd that there are different Norns for the different races of beings. The gods have their Norns, the Elves theirs, and the Dwarves their own. It may also be true that the Jotuns have Jotun Norns, though that isn't mentioned in the literature.

The first war in the worlds is next referred to. The Vanir are brought into the picture at this point. Through the pubescent stage which began with the imbuing of life into the trees Ask and Embla, we come to the arrival of the gods of fertility. Gullveig's name can be translated as "gold-drink", or "gold-lust". Some have correlated Gullveig with Freya based upon her being well versed in seidcraft, but this is speculation, as seidcraft was the primary magical method of the Vanir, and we can surmise was common to all of them. Freya is associated with it in particular due to her having brought it to Asgard and having taught it to Odin, but that fact alone does not suggest that she was the only one who knew its secrets. Gullveig brings corruption to Asgard in the form of the gold-lust she is named for. To the Vanir, desire for riches must have been seen as a great virtue, as all things associated with wealth and harvest pertain to their realm. Perhaps by sending Gullveig to the Aesir, the Vanir were attempting to share something which to them was of great value. The reaction of the Aesir on the other hand can be understood, particularly in lieu of the passages from 'Havamal' pertaining to wealth and its contradictory nature. The most pertinent line of which relating to this reads:

Wealth is as swift as a winking eye.
Of friends, the falsest it is.

We also find similar attitudes reflected in the rune poems, where wealth is called 'a source of discord among kinsmen'. It is obvious from these examples that the attitude towards Gullveig's gift would be a negative one and the lust for gold seen as being a corruption of the virtues of a well ordered society of equals as the Aesir are seen to be. If a human being is given value based on their net worth, then the spirit of life is objectified and overlooked. It is impossible to assign a monetary value to something that is immeasurable. This is perhaps why the spirit is worthless to the materialist and priceless to the spiritualist. Monetary value depends on one's ability to quantify and to qualify, and as it is impossible to subject the invisible and the intangible to either. Lusting after things of monetary value becomes a direct corruptive force in dealing with the things of value to the spirit. This realization was profound enough to the Aesir to go to war over in a world that had not known war. On the individual level, it is as though at this point people are seen as taking sides between perceiving the world in terms of objectification or perceiving it in terms of its value numinosity (numinous-luminosity, i.e.) its ability to draw consciousness into the trans-personal).

Gullveig is burned thrice and is reborn thrice. The fires of suppression can not undo her, and in fact seem to make her stronger. At this point she is renamed as Heid and comes in the form of a witch-woman "well versed in seidcraft and a joy to all evil minded women". These attempts of the Aesir to suppress and destroy gold-lust have transformed her at this juncture into a magical being. It is as though by adding Aesiric force to the process it is made into something greater, though still too chaotic for the Aesir's ordered society. She lends her power to 'evil-minded women', giving an outlet for power to the subtle and suppressed (at least in later Viking society) feminine and passive-aggressive aspects of magic. Gold-lust becomes the power to transform ones station through subtle, magical means. To the macho Vikings who held open conflict as the height of virtue this must have seemed the apex of wickedness, like giving power to those too weak to stand up for themselves. If they are too weak to make an open stand, then they would have been thought of as too weak to wield power righteously. And so the first war in the world erupts over the control of matter by direct spiritual means, and the control of matter by passive-aggressive magical means.
Continued in part 2.

Matthew Risk is a Heathen writer, artist, and musician who lives in Vancouver, BC Canada. His work centers around the themes of Heathen Ritual, Nordic religion and culture, Rune lore, Traditional Oriental Medicine, Yoga, Tantra, Sensual Spirituality and Hermeticism. You can read his blog here: [http://magicritualsex.com]

footnotes to this article:

i- http://www.aswynn.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=58&Itemid=85

ii-Norse Mythology, John Lindow, 2001, Oxford University Press 978-0-19-515382-8

The Best Loved Poems of The American People - By Hazel Felleman

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AppId is over the quota

This Book of Poetry was printed in 1936. Bear with me as I describe what our country was like at that time. It was in the middle of the last great depression, and so a very bad economic time. However it was purchased and read by many folks for the same reasons that I have read it many times. Tom Brokaw called it "The Greatest Generation".

The book was dedicated to Adolph S. Ochs publisher of the New York Times, who died in 1935. Ochs was a lover of poetry who began his career as a newsboy in Tennessee. While we now can "Google" information about most anything, at that time the radio and newspaper were our main source of information for those that could afford them.

Felleman worked for the Times, in the Question and Answer section of the Book Review area. She had received more requests for information about Poems, than any other items that showed her which ones were the public's favorites. The Times was the "Google" for those times and requests were mailed in from all over the nation. As Edward Frank Allen states in the introduction this book was edited by the American People. His introduction is well enough written and interesting that it will merit you reading it.

In that wise let me quote a few sentences from the introduction. I think what he says in 1936 is still fitting for today's society. Allen stated: "Today poetry is an absolute necessity. The world needs it for it's vitalizing strength. Poetry has nearly everything that music can give-melody, rhythm, sentiment-but it has this advantage: it can come closer to the heart. It satisfies a hunger for beauty that is a part of nearly every normal person's make-up.

The book is organized quite well. Reading Poetry is a personal thing and we like different types or even individual poems in different categories. Therefore the book is divided into 12 sections based on the subject of the poems. From Love and Friendship to Various Themes. Humor, patriotism, poems that tell a story and more. The first poem is by Elizabeth Barrett Browning and the last by Robert Browning. You will find an index listed by Authors, First Lines, and Titles. The 670 pages are well set up for easy access to all content by all readers. It is a very good book for all people of a wide range of age.. It has Poems by many famous Poets and others less known. Felleman includes some poems by Unkown Poets, whose poems were well liked but the authorship was not known.

You will find, as Hazel Felleman relates, all the poems are not necessarily her favorites but they were included because they were the favorites of the American People. A few of my favorites are not in this book but many are there.

I "Googled" and found that it is still in print and is available both new and used at most Book Stores. I find prices from 25 cents to 17.00. Quite a bargain for the bookshelf and your pleasure.

Turn off the TV, toss the Newspaper, find your quiet nook and enjoy. I am sure you will enjoy it.

This is from a Lover of Poetry. Thank you for allowing me to share with you a good book.

Alex Kamas was retired after over 30 years as a Real Estate Broker Married to Carol for 55 years they have four grown Children and eleven Grandchildren. He lives with his wife Carol in Parker, Colorado.

An Inspiring Book Regarding Living, Laughing and Good Medicine

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AppId is over the quota

"Live, Love, Laugh A Lot: It's Good Medicine for the Soul," is an excellent poetry book by Jacquelyn Sturge, who is a wonderful author of several books. This one is very spiritually uplifting and inspiring. It starts with a poem entitled "The Call," regarding her sister in the hospital, and ends with a poem entitled, "Thank You Lord," where she is giving thanks for each and every day.

Sturge is the reigning "Queen of Limerick Poetry" based on her style of writing limerick poems, using them in story lines, and at times just for fun and humor. She has certainly blessed us this time with her poetic talent in this book, "Live, Love, Laugh A Lot: It's Good Medicine for the Soul." She uses the limerick poetic writing style in her series known as, "Pastor Sly Foxx." This series is very humorous yet serious in the same breath, which is like an oxymoron. It also exposes some of the unbiblical things taking place in some churches today.

The moral impressions from this series regarding "Pastor Sly Foxx" are as follows: 1) There is always a chance for repentance; 2) Abusing one's spouse is not helpful, especially when serving as a minister of a church; and 3) The stuff hiding in secret will eventually comes to light, usually when one is in a high profile position, or a fish bowl, as an example. Pastor Sly Foxx was really a character and the story also reflects some aspects of reality regarding religion in a different form.

A variety of poetic forms and styles are used in this book such as: the nonet, double reverse nonet, acrostic, concrete poetry, limerick, quatrain, biblical verse, and others just to name a few.

One section of the book which is of particular interest is entitled, "Church Folks." This is also written in a series with several interesting parts. It's striking to note how church folks really gossip about each other. One could easily form a socio-diagram about the people in attendance at time, which boils down to human nature in any organizations-but church folks? This is just unimaginable!

This is really a very interesting poetry book to read. It's down to earth, dynamic, and very inspiring!

Joseph S. Spence, Sr. (aka "Epulaeryu Master"), authored "The Awakened One Poetics" (2009), published in seven languages, "A Trilogy of Poetry, Prose and Thoughts for the Mind, Body and Soul," and "Trilogy Moments for the Mind, Body and Soul." Joseph is a Goodwill Ambassador for Arkansas, and is a US Army veteran.

http://www.TheAwakenedOnePoetics.com/

The Protagonists in "A Doll's House" and "Top Girls"

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AppId is over the quota

Like Nora, Churchill's Marlene finds herself in a male-dominated world, but Marlene rejects the patriarchal assumptions of that world much earlier in her life than Nora does. Churchill provides a long foreground in scene I of the first act by presenting a group of women ranging from Joan, who posed as a man to become pope, to lady Nijo, who was a thirteenth- century Japanese courtesan.

These women discuss their varied troubled relationships with men in different times and cultures to reveal that all of them suffered injustices perpetrated by male assumptions, values, and actions. These women also demonstrate resilience and the ability to adapt to their circumstances so that they become the "top girls" of their time. Marlene's toast establishes the connection we are to make between her and these earlier women: "we've all come a long way. To our courage and the way we changed our lives and our extraordinary achievements."

Churchill, however, is less congratulatory than Marlene. for though the rest of the play explores many of the issues that self determined women must face in our times-economic exploration, job discrimination, upward mobility, and so on - Churchill makes clear that women can be ruthless and selfish in their efforts to climb to the top as men. when Ibsen has Nora close the door on her husband and children, we know that her decision is as painful as it is necessary, but when we learn of Marlene's abandonment of Angie and her cold assessment of her daughter as one of those who is "not going to make it", we are reminded more of Torvald's insensibility than of Nora's absolute need to become human.

Marlene is a tough-minded, enthusiastic supporter of the conservatism associated with Thatcher and Reagan because she believes that they too have no tolerance for the "stupid or lazy or frightened". Her personal life and political values reveal that she pledges her allegiance only to the survival of the fitter. Rather than rejecting the rapaciousness and exploitation of the male world she's worked her way into she simply want to make sure that she's in a position of power. As her sister Joyce points out, Marlene thinks of nothing but herself, and as Angie inadvertently sums up in the final lines, Marlene is "frightened".

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poetry playscripts

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