I am thoroughly enjoying these autumn evenings reading Louise Glück's Meadowlands (1996). Her poems weave the story of Penelope, Odysseus, and Telemachus into the life of a childless, contemporary couple mired in a strained relationship. They share moments of generosity and pettiness, love and hurt, vindictiveness and remorse, neediness and aloofness, blended with instances of … Continue reading Glück: Quiet Evening
There are a few personal encounters in one's life that seem fated and are so significant that they transcend time, space, history, place, and a single lifespan. They can happen on any random date--say, 19 December, 9 January, 21 June, 31 October or 26 December--and that date acquires a significance that seems destined and lasts … Continue reading Encounters
You walk among the spirits of flying dervishes and the whispers of their mystical joy on the anniversary of Rumi's death. How many lives have been loved, how many loves have been lived, how many flying hearts have turned and danced in his land since 17 December 1273? How many dances have been danced, how … Continue reading Rumi: Rubaiyat at Random
The poetry of Rainer Maria Rilke has been enlightening my mornings, as spring turns into summer. I wake, brew a cup of black coffee, sit by my front window under the shade of the sycamore tree, and let the poet's verses awaken me to the spiritual and sentimental possibilities of the day. On a bright, … Continue reading Rilke: Gazing at Gardens
Daniel G. Campos 