American War Poetry, Part VIII

Longtime readers of this blog may recall a seven-part series on American war poetry in the run-up to Memorial Day 2007. In one installment, I asked, “Has no poet dared to attempt in words what the famous photo on Iwo Jima captured for the world? Tony Barnstone’s “Grace Under Pressure” isn’t exactly what I had in mind, but it’s moving in that direction and it’s a heckuva poem.

What I told Dan Rather

If you’re just sick and tired of reading about why the reporter’s shield law currently stalled in the Senate is terrible for the country . . . well, I guess you must be a Reasonable Minds subscriber, because you certainly can’t be sick and tired of reading shield law opposition elsewhere. But if you’re still tuned in on this issue, Dan Rather devoted a segment of his program to it a few nights ago, and it is worth watching online, if only to tease me about it later.

Its a Different (Sports) World

As we approach the waning days of our time here accross the pond, I thought I would take a page from Peach’s book and do a post on Sports, British (actually European) style.

The 133rd Preakness Stakes

 

Curlin surges past Street Sense at the wire to take the 2007 Preakness

 

Mother’s Day in the Poetry Corner

Mothers’s Day takes us to the poetry corner for the third time this week. There is an unavoidable element of confession in passing along this particular poem. I sent it to my own mother, and — naturally — she absolved me.

Pentecost in the Poetry Corner

A few months ago, we said goodbye to Walter Burghardt, S.J. This is one of the poems I first read thanks to him, and it focuses on one of the themes that runs throughout the readings for the vigil of Pentecost and for Pentecost itself. Mother’s Day gets its own poem tomorrow, so on the vigil of Pentecost I give you Phyllis McGinley’s “In Praise of Diversity.”

Guns!

As a long time hunter and shooting sportsman who is not an NRA member, I cringe when the the topic of guns and hunting comes up in political circumstances. Guns and hunting inspire a unique sort of political pandering. Hillary Clinton recently led a long line from the left, who mysteriously develop a shooting and hunting heritage when they get a whiff of the wind in a place like Pennsylvania. John Kerry tried it in 2004 and it didn’t fly then either. To be fair, candidates on the right occasionally catch the sickness – the most recent example: Mitt (Varmint Hunter) Romney. I’ve got a better, very simple idea, for connecting with the hunting community, even if you don’t hunt – but first, a little history.

Measure, Volume III

Volume III of Measure arrived recently and I just can’t say enough good things about it. If you like poetry in traditional meter, you really owe it to yourself to subscribe. (And starting this fall, there will be two issues per year.) Last year, I gave Reasonable Minds a sampling by featuring the winner of the Howard Nemerov Sonnet Award, but this year it’s one of the more whimsical runners-up that I can’t resist. In fact, I like this poem so much it’s likely to be the first of three trips to the poetry corner this week. This goes out particularly to you forty-somethings who have recently joined Facebook, or who have one of those round-numbered reunions coming up.

Catch-22

It’s May 1st, and the Writer’s Almanac notes that it’s the birthday of Joseph Heller. To mark the occasion, and as a public service, I give you the original “Catch-22″:

The 134th Kentucky Derby: It’s a Matter of Parity

Every year, despite thin credentials and limited demand, I write up my analysis of the Kentucky Derby.  It’s always been wrong, but I’d like to think it’s always been interesting.  In the past, I’ve circulated my tripe by email, but having been strongly encouraged not to do so this time around (a soft “NSFW” issue), I had to find another home for my hopeless equine blatherings.  My dear friend Granulous was kind enough to permit another digression on his blog.  So here we go!