Rhythm and Poetry: The Weekly Hodgepodge

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Come on over to 

From This Side of the Pond 

or the Hodgepodge link-up!

Hey, it's October...what's one fun thing on your October calendar? 

I'm beginning a book study group in my home.  Our first meeting is this Saturday.  We're studying The Good and Beautiful God by James Bryan Smith.

Thursday is National Poetry Day (first Thursday in October)...do you like to read poetry? If so, what's a favorite poem, or whose poetry do you especially enjoy? 

I enjoy it, but I struggle with understanding how to read it.  I understand that it doesn't always rhyme and the meter of the phrases isn't always uniform, but understanding the message and purpose of the poem is my downfall.  I have a friend who taught middle school English and Literature and has offered to show me how to read poetry.  I need to take her up on it.  I know her instruction would help me enjoy it more.

One of my favorite modern poems is "O Clavis" by Malcolm Guite from his book of Advent poems Waiting for the Word:

Even in the darkness where I sit 

And huddle in the midst of misery 

I can remember freedom, but forget

That every lock must answer to a key,  

That each dark clasp, sharp and intricate, 

Must find a counter-clasp to meet its guard,  

Particular, exact and intimate,

The clutch and catch that meshes with its ward.

I cry out for the key I threw away  

That turned and over turned with certain touch 

And with the lovely lifting of a latch 

Opened my darkness to the light of day. 

O come again, come quickly, set me free 

Cut to the quick to fit, the master key.

Tell us about something you've seen recently that could be described as 'poetry in motion.'

Although this performance is several years old, I recently watched this after I heard of Michaela DePrince's death.

What's one song on your autumn playlist? Do you have an autumn playlist? If not, pretend you do. If yes, then feel free to share more than one. 

The only seasonal playlist I have is for Christmas and I have a strict rule that I do NOT listen to Christmas music until the day after Thanksgiving (the only exception being Christmas Booty by Rhett and Link--it's on my spinning playlist for motivation).  The playlist I listen to and edit the most is my Happy 911 list on Spotify.  These songs bring me joy for various reasons:  the song itself, the instrumentation, the memories connected with it, etc.

Share a quote that inspires you this time of year especially. 

"Remember, motions are the precursors of emotions." - Dr. George W. Crane, quoted by David Schwartz, PhD in his book The Magic of Thinking Big

Insert your own random thought here.  

In case you missed it:  

* My previous Hodgepodge post:  "One Word: Finish" is here.
* My latest First Line Friday post: "#22 - Miracles by C. S. Lewis" is here.
* My latest book review of Master of Change is here.
* My "24 in 2024" post is here.
* My 2024 reading challenge:  "Full Shelf Challenge V.2" is here.
* My final Simple Woman's Daybook "Day 40:  The End is Just the Beginning?" is here.
* My latest series on my Auntie's Workshop blog "30 Day Art Challenge 2024" starts here.