9 min listen
Elizabeth Bishop — Sestina
FromPoetry Unbound
ratings:
Length:
16 minutes
Released:
Nov 12, 2021
Format:
Podcast episode
Description
This sestina poem considers a scene from Elizabeth Bishop’s own childhood through the sounds of six repeating words: house, grandmother, child, stove, almanac, tears. These six words repeat — in different order — as the final words of the poem’s lines, creating a kind of contemplation on how those repeated words informed her childhood: a childhood marked by loss, displacement, and a kind grandmother. “Time to plant tears” the poem states, in one of its most famous lines, as if the scene recalled has information about the future.Elizabeth Bishop was an American poet and writer. She served as Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress from 1949 to 1950, was the Pulitzer Prize winner for Poetry in 1956, and won the National Book Award in 1970.Find the transcript for this show at onbeing.org.
Released:
Nov 12, 2021
Format:
Podcast episode
Titles in the series (100)
Faisal Mohyuddin — Prayer: Faisal Mohyuddin’s poem “Prayer” describes a practice of devotion. It’s a spacious and hospitable poem, filled with references to ritual and the body, and an invitation to share in the warm light of a household lamp. A question to reflect on after you listen: What rituals do you use to anchor yourself? by Poetry Unbound