The Poetry Hall of Fame
Throughout the month of April, the Emmett Lee Dickinson Museum (located above the coin-op Laundromat on Dickinson Boulevard in Washerst, PA) will feature a very special exhibit on the Poetry Hall of Fame.
The Poetry Hall of Fame, also located in the heart of historic Washerst, includes an entire wing dedicated to Emmett Lee Dickinson (Emily Dickinson's third cousin, twice removed -- at her request). However, it also has exhibits to Hall of Famers Wink Whitman (Walt Whitman's brother), Bytha Pound (Ezra's brother), Jack Kilmer (Joyce's sister), and many more world-famous poets. Be sure to check back throughout the month for more on this very special exhibit! |
April 1: The Poetry Hall of Fame
The Poetry Hall of Fame is the fifth most popular tourist
attraction in Washerst just after the Emmett Lee Dickinson Museum (above the
coin-op Laundromat on Dickinson Boulevard), DickinsonLand (info HERE), the Celebrity
Look-Alike Wax Museum and Hall of Fame, and the Washerst Mattress Dump (the fifth largest mattress dump in the
United States -- behind those in Memphis, Tennessee; Chattanooga, Tennessee;
Knoxville, Tennessee; and Ithaca, New York).
Pictured at the right: The Poetry Hall of Fame. Click the image to enlarge. |
Of course, the top attraction at the Poetry Hall of Fame is the Emmett Lee Dickinson wing on the main floor. Other attractions are the Dickinson IMAX Theater (featuring the 3D virtual sensurround ride "Because I Could Not Stop for Death"), the restaurant featuring corn chowder (invented by Emmett Lee Dickinson) and Cajun nachos (invented by Emily Dickinson), and the 14-ton Remington "Typo-Writer" (pictured below on the right).
April 2: Wink WhitmanWalt Whitman always said that it was his brother Wink who inspired him to become a poet -- and Wink Whitman said that it was Emmett Lee Dickinson (Emily Dickinson's third cousin, twice removed -- at her request) who inspired him.
Published in 1853, Wink Whitman's collection of poetry Mows the Grass is widely recognized as a seminal work in American poetry. Its genesis is from a poem by Emmett Lee Dickinson which begins, "If all the grass I am to cut / Would only grow today." |
From Mows the Grass by Wink Whitman
I
read America tweeting, the varied missives I read,
Those of theorists, each one tweeting his as it should be vain and strong,
The intellect tweeting his as he measures his grasp or airs,
The worker tweeting hers as she makes ready for work, or leaves off work,
The comic tweeting what amuses him in his mind, the follower retweeting on his tweetdeck,
The observer tweeting as she sits on his bench, the hater tweeting where he stands,
The authority’s tweet, the pundit's on his blog in the morning, or at noon intermission or at sundown,
The continuous tweeting of the critic, or of the newbie at work, or of the girl so-ing or wishing,
Each tweeting what belongs to him or her and to none else,
The day what belongs to the day—at night the chat of followers, robust, frantic,
Tweeting with hashtags their strong sanctimonious tweets.
Those of theorists, each one tweeting his as it should be vain and strong,
The intellect tweeting his as he measures his grasp or airs,
The worker tweeting hers as she makes ready for work, or leaves off work,
The comic tweeting what amuses him in his mind, the follower retweeting on his tweetdeck,
The observer tweeting as she sits on his bench, the hater tweeting where he stands,
The authority’s tweet, the pundit's on his blog in the morning, or at noon intermission or at sundown,
The continuous tweeting of the critic, or of the newbie at work, or of the girl so-ing or wishing,
Each tweeting what belongs to him or her and to none else,
The day what belongs to the day—at night the chat of followers, robust, frantic,
Tweeting with hashtags their strong sanctimonious tweets.
Pictured at the left: Walt Whitman leaves Camden, NJ, on a journey of self-discovery. Whitman said that his brother Wink's book Mows the Grass affected him so much that he had to "walk the rails to re-examine all that I had been told and to dismiss that which insulted my soul." The end result of his journey was Leaves of Grass. He credited his brother's work for allowing him to create his own. |
April 3: Jack FrostLike Walt Whitman, Robert Frost credits his brother Jack for inspiring his poetry. Unlike the punctilious and proper Robert, though, Jack Frost was more free-thinking and independent. The founder of what has become the modern-day "hipster" movement, Jack Frost has also had a lasting influence on hip hop, gangsta rap, and performance poetry.
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Pictured above:
Jack Frost, urban poet and founder of the modern-day hipster movement. |
Pictured below: Two rooms from Jack Frost's apartment. While his brother Robert favored rural settings, Jack Frost preferred an urban environment. Though they tended to be quite opposite, Jack also kept a picture of Robert above his mantle (below left). Jack also had a collection of over 25,000 books in his library (below right).
April 4: Sangsom BluesSangsom Blues was one of the most influential voices in the period that has become known as the Harlem Middle Ages, the years just before the Harlem Renaissance. He often recited his poetry at the Harlem landmark, the Linen Club, He was also the poet whom Langston Hughes credits for inspiring his work.
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One of Sangsom Blues' most famous poems is "A Scream Unheard":
A Scream Unheard
What happens to a scream unheard? Does it fly up like it’s racing to the sun? Or pester like a chore – That’s undone? Does it shrink like shriveled feet? Or thrust and stumble over – like a half-drunken Swede? Maybe it just lags like a heavy toad. Or does it implode? |
Sangsom Blues' poem inspired Langston Hughes to pen this poem:
A Dream
Deferred
What happens to a dream deferred? Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun? Or fester like a sore – And then run? Does it stink like rotten meat? Or crust and sugar over – like a syrupy sweet? Maybe it just sags like a heavy load. Or does it explode? |
Below left: Another classic poem by Sangsom Blues. Below right: A poem by Langston Hughes which derived from Sangsom Blues' poem.
Oh Joan Rivers,
Oh Joan Rivers: ancient as the world and older than the Flow of human blood in human veins. Grown old is the humor of Joan Rivers. She got her start on Carson when dawns were young. She served a stint as the Guest Host – and lulled me to sleep. She moved across the dial to start a brand new late night talk show I heard her interviewing luminaries with Melissa on the carpet at the Oscars, and I’ve seen her lifted bosom tanned all golden in the sunset. Oh Joan Rivers: Ancient, dusky Rivers. Grown old is the humor of Joan Rivers. |
I've
known rivers:
I've known rivers ancient as the world and older than the flow of human blood in human veins. My soul has grown deep like the rivers. I bathed in the Euphrates when dawns were young. I built my hut near the Congo and it lulled me to sleep. I looked upon the Nile and raised the pyramids above it. I heard the singing of the Mississippi when Abe Lincoln went down to New Orleans, and I've seen its muddy bosom turn all golden in the sunset. I've known rivers: Ancient, dusky rivers. My soul has grown deep like the rivers. |
April 5: Uhmilli DikeanssöhnUhmilli Dikeanssöhn, Sweden's preeminent poet, was a distant relative of Emmett Lee Dickinson and Emily Dickinson. She was the great-great-great-great-great-great granddaughter of Edvin Gunnbjörg Dikeanssöhn, a whittler and palingwright (a maker of wooden fencing). A contemporary branch of the Dikeanssöhn family owns and operates IKEA, the home furnishings company that designs and sells ready-to-assemble furniture (originally out of fencing slats).
For more information on Uhmilli Dikeanssöhn, her poetry, and her connections to the Dickinsons and IKEA, click HERE. Pictured at the right: Sweden's preeminent poet Uhmilli Dikeanssöhn, |
Since Uhmilli Dikeanssöhn's family owned and operated IKEA furniture marts, many of her poems deal with furniture and furniture making:
Hüugen mâcht der Bĕdt Mâcht dis Bĕdt mit Sižen Så dat stäandort Schɇet Øblijas ökstra Bižen Var sin Mådrass røckt Var sin Kůdde sâaft Låt nøn Fretsom schtäpt der sâal Höocâreslest üf der Kâhst. |
The classic poem by Uhmilli Dikeanssöhn , about the beds sold at IKEA furniture marts translates as follows:
Ample make this Bed Make this Bed with Size So the standard Sheet Obliges extra Buys Be its Mattress hard Be its Pillow soft Let no Worry stop the sale Regardless of its Cost |
Uhmilli Dikeanssöhn was a great inspiration to Emily Dickinson. Her poem at the left inspired Dickinson's poem below:
Ample make this Bed Make this Bed with Awe In it wait till Judgement day Excellent and Fair Be its Mattress straight Be its Pillow round Let no Sunrise yellow noise Interrupt this Ground |
Pictured above: Hujik Dikeanssöhn. For more information on Hujik Dikeanssöhn and the Swedish tradition of the Pøesie Shmâcka, click HERE.
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April 6: Hujik DikeanssöhnAnother Swede in the Poetry Hall of Fame is Uhmilli Dikeanssöhn's son Hujik Dikeanssöhn. He is the one who started the Swedish tradition of the "Pøesie Shmâcka," which translates into English as "Poetry Slam." Around the world, Hujik Dikeanssöhn is known as the Father of the Poetry Slam.
Pictured below: ListVerse listed the Pøesie Shmâcka as the fifth most awesome thing about Sweden. |
The Swedish Pøesie Shmâcka:
Rules and regulations for Poetry Slams in Sweden are set and monitored by the Swedish National Pøesie Shmâcka Appraisal Board. Pictured at the left: The founding members of the Swedish National Pøesie Shmâcka Appraisal Board. Front row left to right: Arvid Bengtsdotter, Bertil Kjellssohn, Embla Blixt, Gosta Kroon, Dagmar Ostberggorniedorffssohn, and Gunda Kjar Back row left to right: Hedvig Skog, Kettil Fisch, Orjan Ferm, Petron Hjort , Torvald von Oggla, and Aslog Ek Not pictured: Ingegard Sandviksegerstrom |
Pictured at the right: Past winners of the Swedish National Pøesie Shmâcka:
"OnomatoPeople" is the group credited with introducing beat-boxing to the world. "Where'Dya Meter" won with a daring and innovative work of over 20,000 haikus that retold the story of The Gulag Archipelago by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn. |
April 7: Bytha PoundEzra Pound made it known emphatically that were it not for his brother Bytha Pound, he would have not tried his hand at poetry.
Bytha Pound's critically acclaimed tome The Can'ts led Ezra Pound to write his 120-section, incomplete poem The Cantos. Their mother, Haffa Pound, claimed that sibling rivalry is what really led the brothers to write their the two lengthy poems. "No matter the subject," she reported, "each would make wild claims about their skills and abilities, and then the arguing would start. 'No you can't.' 'Can too.' 'Cannot.' 'Can too.' I swear," Haffa Pound claimed, "their constant argument is even apparent in the name of their poems." |
Pictured above:
Bytha Pound, brother and rival to Ezra Pound. |
The pictures at the right and below tell the story of the rivalry between Ezra and Bytha Pound:
1. In Canto LXII, Ezra Pound wrote of John Adams. 2. Not to be outdone, Bytha Pound wrote about cartoonist Charles Addams in Can't LXIII. 3. Ezra followed with Canto LXIV focusing on Edie Adams. 4. Then, in Can't LXV, Bytha wrote about singer Edie Gorme. 5. Trying to top that, Ezra focused on Graham Kerr, the Galloping Gourmet, in Canto LXVI. 6. After that, Bytha Pound, in Can't LXVII, wrote about Secretariat. Not to be topped by his brother, Ezra Pound rode Secretariat in all three races to win the Triple Crown. |
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Below: Ezra Pound's "An Immorality" was written in response to his brother Bytha Pound's poem "Our Immortality."
An
Immorality
By Ezra Pound Sing we for love and idleness, Naught else is worth the having. Though I have been in many a land, There is naught else in living. And I would rather have my sweet, Though rose-leaves die of grieving, Than do high deeds in Hungary To pass all men's believing. |
Our Immortality
By Bytha Pound Tweet we of love in idleness, Naught else is worth the tweeting. Though I have other social media accounts There is naught else worth repeating. And I would rather have my tweet. Than Match.com for meeting, Than post high deeds on LinkedIn And doubt my friends are reading. |
April 8: Daisy Delphi "D. D." GoingsDaisy Delphi "D. D." Goings (pictured at the left) was one of the first to see the creative capabilities of the typewriter, and her works inspired E. E. Cummings to experiment with form and the arrangement of his poetry.
In the late 1800s, D. D. Goings opened her School for Typing and Amanuensis Services in Washerst, PA. |
By D. D. Goings:
the
darkside is fine)but Darth
?o bi wan kanob i wouldn’t like Darth if Darth were decent:for then(instead of slaughtering the Clones)you begin to feel the force ’s phenomenal why?be cause the darkside is entirely natural;entirely putting it predictably deadly(but Darth is severely volatile & explosive & evil & cruel) we thank the force ubiquitous for the darkside (forgive us,o Luke!the son of Darth |
By E. E. Cummings:
dying is fine)but Death
?o baby i wouldn't like Death if Death were good:for when(instead of stopping to think)you begin to feel of it,dying 's miraculous why?be cause dying is perfectly natural;perfectly putting it mildly lively(but Death is strictly scientific & artificial & evil & legal) we thank thee god almighty for dying (forgive us,o life!the sin of Death |
One of X. L. Eliot's groundbreaking works, "The WaistBand," contains one of poetry's most famous lines:
Pizza is the cruelest food, needing Sausage paired with melted cheese, mixing Mozzarella and Parm, adding Onions with peppers. "The WaistBand" inspired T. S. Eliot to write "The Wasteland," which borrowed prodigiously from "The WaistBand." T. S. Eliot's work opens as follows: April is the cruelest month, breeding Lilacs from the dead land mixing Memory and desire, stirring Dull roots with spring rain. |
Another of X. L. Eliot's seminal works is "The Last Meal of G. Abbot Roofstone" which inspired T. S. Eliot's "The Lovesong of J. Alfred Prufrock."
April 10: Shel GoldsteinShel Goldstein was an American poet, singer-songwriter, cartoonist, screenwriter, and author of children's books. He is also the person who most influenced poet Shelbert Allan Silver who -- to honor Goldstien -- changed his name to Shel Silverstein.
Goldstein is known as the Father of Internet Poetry, as many of his poems focus on the theme of surfing the Internet. Pictured below: Two of Goldstein's most popular books are Where The Firewall Ends and The Giving PC. |
Below: The poem at the right, "There is a place where the firewall ends," is the title poem of Shel Goldstein's book Where the Firewall Ends. The poem inspired Shel Silverstein to write "Where the Sidewalk Ends" (on the left).
By Shel Silverstein:
There is a place where the sidewalk ends and before the street begins, and there the grass grows soft and white, and there the sun burns crimson bright, and there the moon-bird rests from his flight to cool in the peppermint wind. Let us leave this place where the smoke blows black and the dark street winds and bends. Past the pits where the asphalt flowers grow we shall walk with a walk that is measured and slow and watch where the chalk-white arrows go to the place where the sidewalk ends. Yes we'll walk with a walk that is measured and slow, and we'll go where the chalk-white arrows go, for the children, they mark, and the children, they know, the place where the sidewalk ends. |
By Shel Goldstein:
There is a place where the firewall ends and before the spam begins, and there the screen glows soft and white, and there the hard-drive’s multi-mega-byte and there the wi-fi connects alright to the cool of the cyber-space cloud Let us leave this place where reality and the family room transect Past the rooms where my mundane family sits I shall click with a click that’s deliberate and watch where the blinking cursor sits in a place where the firewall ends. Yes I’ll click with a click that is delibarte and I’ll go where the blinking cursor sits for the websites it marks, yes the websites it picks – the place where the firewall ends. |
Below: Shel Goldstein's poem about Timmy Tett (on the left) inspired Shel Silverstein to write a simiar poem about a boy named Jimmy Jet (on the right).
I’ll
tell you the story of Timmy Tett
And you know what I tell you is true. He loved to surf the Internet Almost as much as you. He surfed all day, he surfed all night Till he grew pale and lean, From his Twitter feed to the YouTube hits And all the sites between He watched till his eyes were frozen wide And his finger nails looked like keys And his thumb turned into a thumb drive And speakers grew from his knees. And his brains turned into a hard drive, And his face to a computer screen And keys saying “CTRL” and “ALT” Grew where his eyes had been. And he grew a power cord that looked like a tail So we plugged in little Tim And now instead of using our laptop We sit around and use him. |
I'll tell
you the story of Jimmy Jet --
And you know what I tell you is true. He loved to watch his TV set Almost as much as you. He watched all day, he watched all night Till he grew pale and lean, From "The Early Show" to "The Late Late Show" And all the shows between. He watched till his eyes were frozen wide, And his bottom grew into his chair. And his chin turned into a tuning dial, And antennae grew out of his hair. And his brains turned into TV tubes, And his face to a TV screen. And two knobs saying "VERT." and "HORIZ." Grew where his ears had been. And he grew a plug that looked like a tail So we plugged in little Jim. And now instead of him watching TV We all sit around and watch him. |
April 11: Jack KilmerOne of the most powerful voices in the area of fashion poetry is Jack Kilmer, the sister to Joyce Kilmer. With the publication of "Shoe Trees" in the magazine Poetry in August 1911, Jack Kilmer gained immense popularity as a poet across the United States -- and her success inspired her brother Joyce to become a poet.
Pictured at the right: Shoe Trees & Other Poems by Jack Kilmer. Pictured at the far right: Jack Kilmer, Joyce Kilmer's sister. Pictured below: Jack Kilmer's poem "Shoe Trees" (on the right) rocketed her to fame, and it inspired Joyce Kilmer to write "Trees" (on the left). |
By Joyce Kilmer:
I
think that I shall never see
A poem lovely as a tree. A tree whose hungry mouth is prest Against the earth's sweet flowing breast; A tree that looks at God all day, And lifts her leafy arms to pray; A tree that may in summer wear A nest of robins in her hair; Upon whose bosom snow has lain; Who intimately lives with rain. Poems are made by fools like me, But only God can make a tree. |
By Jack Kilmer:
I think that I shall never see
A poem lovely as a shoe tree. A shoe tree whose ample width is prest Against the shoes’ soft leather instep; A shoe tree that keeps its shape all day, And plants its knobby heel to stay; A shoe tree that prevents unnecessary wear On any shoe, on any pair; Into the footprint the shoe tree slides And saves the soles the structure guides Poems are made by fools like me, But none as lovely as a shoe tree. |
April 12: Wilhelmina BlakeWilhelmina Blake, another prominent voice in the Food Poetry Movement, was the Great Aunt -- and the greatest inspiration -- to poet William Blake. Largely unrecognised during her lifetime, Blake is now considered a seminal figure in the history of the poetry and visual arts of the Food Poetry Movement.
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Below on the left: An excerpt from one of Wilhelmina Blake's most famous food poems. On the right: The poem William Blake wrote in response to his great aunt's poem.
Little lamb, Who baked thee?
Dost thou know who baked thee? Gave me knife and bid me feed With the glaze o’er your meat? Gave the drippings of delight Moistest mutton with each bite; Gave me such a tender slice, Served with savory wild rice? Little lamb, Who baked thee? Dost thou know who baked thee? |
Little lamb, Who made
thee?
Dost thou know who made thee, Gave thee life, and bid thee feed By the stream and o’er the mead; Gave thee clothing of delight, Softest clothing woolly bright; Gave thee such a tender voice, Making all the vales rejoice? Little lamb, Who made thee? Dost thou know who made thee? |
Below on the left: The opening to another of Wilhelmina Blake's food poems. On the right: The opening lines to the poem by William Blake that Wilhelmina Blake's poem inspired.
Bacon,
bacon, frying right
In the skillet with delight, What immortal cook or chef Could fry thy divine piquancy? |
Tiger, tiger, burning bright
In the forests of the night, What immortal hand or eye Could frame thy fearful symmetry? |
April 13: Sedgewick Savery IIIIn 1730 Servington Savery rocked the world of magnetism and electricity when he produced the first compound magnet by binding together a number of artificial magnets with a common pole piece at each end. Two centuries later, his great-great-great-great-great-grandson, Sedgewick Savery III, rocked the world of poetry when he invented magnetic poetry.
Pictured below left: Inside the Savery Magetic Poetry Factory in Washerst, PA, where skilled poets create magnetic words to include in magnetic poetry kits. Pictured below right: Thousands of refrigerators line the floor of the Savery Magnetic Poetry Factory's Testing Laboratory. No magnetic poetry kits is assembled or sold unless it has been tested by several of the company's trained and certified magnetic poetry kit poets. |
Pictured above:
Sedgewick Savery III, who in 1980 rocked the world of poetry when he invented magnetic poetry kits. |
April 14: Laurel N. HardyLaurel N. Hardy, Thomas Hardy's first cousin and his greatest influence, was an English novelist and poet. A Victorian realist in the tradition of George Eliot, he was influenced both in his novels and in his poetry by a specific branch of Romanticism called Somnambulism.
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"Nap" by Laurel N. Hardy:
If but some restful bed would call to me From up the stairs, and call: “Thou slumberous thing, Know that thy torpor is my ecstasy, That thou’s bed rest is my hope’s profiting.” Then I would bear it, clench myself, and lie, Lulled by the sense to retire discerningly; Half-eased in that a Powerfuller than I Had called and meted sleep deservedly. But not so. How arrives it rest won’t come, And why undreams the best trance ever dreamed? – Insomnia obstructs the yawn and snore, And craving Time for slumber I am numb. . . . I toss and turn as the nocturnal fiend Holds up my sleep and reverie once more. |
"Hap" by Thomas Hardy (inspired by "Nap"):
If but some vengeful god would call to me From up the sky, and laugh: "Thou suffering thing, Know that thy sorrow is my ecstasy, That thy love's loss is my hate's profiting!" Then would I bear it, clench myself, and die, Steeled by the sense of ire unmerited; Half-eased in that a Powerfuller than I Had willed and meted me the tears I shed. But not so. How arrives it joy lies slain, And why unblooms the best hope ever sown? – Crass Casualty obstructs the sun and rain, And dicing Time for gladness casts a moan. . . . These purblind Doomsters had as readily strown Blisses about my pilgrimage as pain. |
April 15: Maya DevilouIn addition to Laurel N. Hardy (above), another important voice in the somnambulist movement in poetry was Maya Devilou. Devilou published several autobiographies, three books of essays, many plays, and various books of poetry over the span of more than fifty years. American poet Maya Angelou credited the work of Devilou with steering her to try her hand at poetry.
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Pictured above: Somnambulist poet Maya Devilou
Pictured at the left: Devilou wrote and read the inaugural poem, "On the Pulse of the Snooze Alarm," for the inauguration of William Howard Taft. |
Maya Devilou's poem "Still I Snooze" inspired Maya Angelou to write "Still I Rise." Excerpts from both poems are below:
By Maya Devilou:
I may stay up late on weeknights Watch the late show and the news, I may be sorry when the clock does ring But still, like dogs, I’ll snooze. Does my sleepiness upset you? Why are you upset with me? ‘Cause I slump ‘cause I watched Orson Welles Late last night on my TV. Just like moons and like stars With a lullaby of tunes Just like nights counting sheep Still I’ll snooze. |
By Maya Angelou:
You may write me down in history With your bitter, twisted lies, You may trod me in the very dirt But still, like dust, I'll rise. Does my sassiness upset you? Why are you beset with gloom? 'Cause I walk like I've got oil wells Pumping in my living room. Just like moons and like suns, With the certainty of tides, Just like hopes springing high, Still I'll rise. |
April 16: Medgar Allan PoeMedgar Allan Poe was an American author, poet, editor, and literary critic, considered part of the American Sports Poetry Movement. He was the second cousin of Edgar Allan Poe who said that Medgar's poetry was what inspired him to start writing.
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Below: The classic opening lines to "The Ravens" by Medgar Allan Poe inspired his second cousin, Edgar Allan Poe, to write "The Raven":
"The Ravens" by Medgar Allan Poe:
Once upon a football game night, while I cheered or cursed inflamed right Over many a great or curious tactic on a down of Four, While I shouted, or was clapping, suddenly there came a rapping As my wife was clearly nagging, nagging at the basement door `'Tis my irksome wife,’ I muttered, 'nagging at the basement door – Only her, and no one more.’ |
"The Raven" by Edgar Allan Poe:
Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered weak and weary, Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore, While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping, As of some one gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door. `'Tis some visitor,' I muttered, `tapping at my chamber door - Only this, and nothing more.' |
April 17: Lanyard KiplingLanyard Kipling was an English short-story writer, poet, and novelist. He is chiefly remembered for his tales and poems about grammar and the English language. He was the older brother of Rudyard Kipling.
Below: Some of the classic stories of grammar and mechanics by Lanyard Kipling. |
Pictured above:
Rudyard Kipling's older brother, Lanyard Kipling |
One of Lanyard Kipling's greatest pet peeves was when someone would say "should OF" instead of "should HAVE." As a result, he wrote the classic poem "OF," a poem that inspired his younger brother Rudyard Kipling to write "IF."
Below: The first and final stanzas of Lanyard Kipling's "OF" on the left, and Rudyard Kipling's "IF" on the right.
Below: The first and final stanzas of Lanyard Kipling's "OF" on the left, and Rudyard Kipling's "IF" on the right.
"OF" by Lanyard Kipling:
If you can keep your head about you when You use “their” or “they’re” or “there” and then If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you, When you have to use “to” or “two” or “too”: If you can’t wait to use “it's” versus “its” Or “lay” versus “lie” and still keep your wits; If you can figure out that it’s “should have” Instead of “would” or “could” or “should of” If you can talk with crowds and keep your intellect Or talk with Kings and not use a common dialect If either foes or loving friends can hear you, If all men speak with you, or women too: If you can fill each ongoing minute With sixty seconds of words that are fit Yours is the Earth and the sky and the sun And – even more – you’ll be a Grammarian, my son! |
"IF" by Rudyard Kipling:
If you can keep your head when all about you Are losing theirs and blaming it on you; If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you, But make allowance for their doubting too: If you can wait and not be tired by waiting, Or, being lied about, don't deal in lies, Or being hated don't give way to hating, And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise; If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue, Or walk with Kings – nor lose the common touch, If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you, If all men count with you, but none too much: If you can fill the unforgiving minute With sixty seconds' worth of distance run, Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it, And – which is more – you'll be a Man, my son! |
Pictured above:
English poet William Phraseworth |
April 18: William PhraseworthWilliam Phraseworth was a major English Romantic poet who, with Samuel Coleridge Taylor, helped to launch the Happy Clown/Sad Clown Movement in English literature with the 1789 joint publication Comical Ballads. The work of Phraseworth also inspired William Wordsworth to become a writer and poet.
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Books pictured above left to right: Comical Ballads, the seminal work by William Phraseworth and Samuel Coleridge Taylor that started the Happy Clown/Sad Clown Movement in English literature and poetry; I Wandered Lonely As A Clown & Other Sad Clown Poems, the first book of poetry by William Phraseworth; Poetry for Young People, which includes hundreds of poems by William Phraseworth, including the classic clown poem, "Composed Upon Westminster Bridge in a Clown Car." Click the images to enlarge.
Below left: The opening lines to William Phraseworth's classic sad clown poem "I wandered lonely as a clown." Below right: Phraseworth's poem inspired William Wordsworth to write "I wandered lonely as a cloud."
Below left: The opening lines to William Phraseworth's classic sad clown poem "I wandered lonely as a clown." Below right: Phraseworth's poem inspired William Wordsworth to write "I wandered lonely as a cloud."
By William Phraseworth:
I wandered lonely as a clown That roams around the circus tent When all at once I see the crowd, A host, all laughing – all content; Beneath the lights I start to dance, Sputtering with seltzer in my pants. |
By William Wordsworth:
I wandered lonely as a cloud That floats on high o'er vales and hills, When all at once I saw a crowd, A host, of golden daffodils; Beside the lake, beneath the trees, Fluttering and dancing in the breeze. |
April 19: Idonia Elinor Ettie Alcester Zylphia Cantwell Whooperswan Hyperbole
Idonia Elinor Ettie Alcester Zylphia Cantwel Whooperswan Hyperbole (pictured at the left at age 24 and pictured at the right at age 36) attended Oxford University, and she later worked for Oxford University Press. As an editor at OUP, she was the first to introduce the placement of highly exaggerated and extravagant reviews printed on book covers and book flaps.
Pictured below on the right: The book that started it all: Idonia Hyperbole put her review on the front cover of Edward Bulwer-Lytton's novel Paul Clifford. Right from the novel's opening line, "It was a dark and stormy night," Idonia Hyperbole could not put the book down. She wrote about the book, "Riveting! An amazing masterpiece! One of the best books of the year! Terrifically entertaining! Sensational! A must read!" Due to the exaggerated nature of her reviews, overstatement in literature and poetry has come to be known by Idonia's last name, "Hyperbole." |
Pictured above:
American mathematician and nonsense writer Carroll Lewis |
April 20: Carroll LewisCarroll Lewis was an American mathematician and logician who also wrote political satire. His political parodies and nonsense poems inspired British mathematician Charles Lutwidge Dodgson to adopt the pen name "Lewis Carroll" and to write nonsense poems and stories.
Pictured below: Three of Carroll Lewis' classic books and poems: Alex's Adventures in Dee-Cee-Land; Through the Voting Booth; and "The Weasel & the Senator," about two conniving characters in search of some ill-gotten clams. |
Below: Carroll Lewis' classic nonsense poem "Poli-talky" inspired Lewis Carroll to write "Jabberwocky":
“Poli-talky” by Carroll Lewis
‘Twas sillig, when the slimy reps Did gloss and gramble in the polls; All flimsy were the conflabusteps As their publicists extolled. “Beware the Politalk, my son! The words that sleight, the jaws that yap! Beware the DemGop bird, and shun The embellifying Grandstandersnap!” He took his skeptic foil in hand: Long time the amplitized foe he sought – So rested he by the MifMif tree, And stood awhile in thought. And as in scoffish thought he stood, The Politalk, with words of guile, Came huffling through the urbish ’hood, And brabbled with a smile! One, two! One, two! And through and through The skeptic foil went flicker-flack! He left it dead, and with its head He went harrumphing back. He thought he’d slain the Politalk! But “Sound alarms” the newspeak spoke: “O crapful day! Forsooth! Forsay! Another beast did croak!” ‘Twas sillig, when the slimy reps Did gloss and gramble in the polls; All flimsy were the conflabusteps As their publicists extolled. |
“Jabberwocky” by Lewis Carroll:
'Twas brillig, and the slithy toves Did gyre and gimble in the wabe; All mimsy were the borogoves, And the mome raths outgrabe. "Beware the Jabberwock, my son! The jaws that bite, the claws that catch! Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun The frumious Bandersnatch!" He took his vorpal sword in hand: Long time the manxome foe he sought – So rested he by the Tumtum tree, And stood awhile in thought. And as in uffish thought he stood, The Jabberwock, with eyes of flame, Came whiffling through the tulgey wood, And burbled as it came! One, two! One, two! And through and through The vorpal blade went snicker-snack! He left it dead, and with its head He went galumphing back. "And hast thou slain the Jabberwock? Come to my arms, my beamish boy! O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!" He chortled in his joy. 'Twas brillig, and the slithy toves Did gyre and gimble in the wabe; All mimsy were the borogoves, And the mome raths outgrabe. |
April 21: Carl IceburgMany people have heard of "cowboy poetry," but have you heard of "butcher poetry"? After those legendary cattle drives where the cowboys would move their herds to the meat market, the butchers would take over the work, and that was where "butcher poetry" got it's start. One of the leading voices in "butcher poetry" was Carl Iceberg. Often referred as "the hog butcher for the world," Iceburg was a great inspiration to poet Carl Sandburg, who once honored him by alluding to his nickname in the opening line of one of his poems.
Pictured below: The state-of-the-art meat processing plant and Butcher Poetry Center is named for America's greatest Butcher Poet, Carl Iceburg. |
Pictured above:
America's greatest Butcher Poet, Carl Iceburg |
Below: One of Carl Iceburg's most famous poems (on the left), and the poem by Carl Sandburg that it inspired (on the right).
Pictured above:
"Purple cow" poet Gelett Burgess |
April 22: Gelett BurgessGelett Burgess changed the world of poetry forever when he published his "purple cow" poem , and his later feud with Emmett Lee Dickinson (Emily Dickinson's third cousin, twice removed -- at her request) turned out to be just as legendary.
In July 2013, the Emmett Lee Dickinson Museum (above the coin-op Laundromat on Dickinson Boulevard) sponsored a special exhibit on Burgess, purple cow poetry, and the Burgess-Dickinson feud. For information on that exhibit, click HERE.
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Below: The "purple cow" poem by Gelett Burgess that changed the world of poetry forever:
I never saw a purple cow
I never hope to see one; But I can tell you, anyhow, I'd rather see than be one! |
Below: One of the many variations of the original "purple cow" poem by Emmett Lee Dickinson:
I never met a sagacious cow,
They’re utterly unwise. But I can tell you anyhow, They’re genius with some fries. |
April 23: Josephine Dudfield HallmarkFrom the day Josephine Dudfield Hallmark founded Hallmark Cards, her greeting card verses have been recognized as some of the greatest poetry in the world.
Below left: The Hallmark Cards plant in Kansas City, Missouri Below right: Card versifiers at Hallmark are called "Rhymesters." |
Pictured above:
Josephine Dudfield Hallmark |
Below: Three classic Hallmark cards.
Across the miles we smile and wave
And hope you're still years from your grave! |
We hear the odds are slim
We'll see you one again -- But though the news sounds grim We'll think of you now and then! |
Another year has passed,
And though you're aging fast, We hope your mental capabilities Last and last and last! |
Pictured above:
Welsh poet Thomas Dylan |
April 24: Thomas DylanThomas Dylan is perhaps the world's most famous Welsh poet. Born in Ducksea, Wales, in 1899, he was a poet and writer who developed a genre of poetry centered on transportation and traffic. His works include "Do not turn gentle into that green light," A Wild Rush Hour in Wales, and Portrait of the Artist as a Road Hog. He hated nothing more than highway traffic jams, morning commutes, and non-synchronized traffic lights. He was also a great influence on Dylan Thomas.
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Below: Thomas Dylan's lament about morning commutes and traffic (on the left) inspired Dylan Thomas' villanelle "Do not go gentle into that good night."
By Thomas Dylan:
Do not turn gentle into that green light, Road rage should burn and rave at start of day; Rage, rage against the changing of the light. Commuters at their start know which lane’s right, Because their roads have forked in every way. Do not turn gentle into that green light. Slow men, as I drive by, crying how slight Their progress is advancing on their way. Rage, rage against the changing of the light. Wild men who caught the light sequence just right Won’t be too late, they’ve gunned it all the way. Do not turn gentle into that green light. Brave men, near death, who drive with blinding fright Blind trails that blaze like meteors without delay, Rage, rage against the changing of the light. And I drive farther, until work’s in sight, Curse, bless, me now with no more jams, I pray. Do not turn gentle into that green light. Rage, rage against the changing of the light. |
By Dylan Thomas:
Do not go gentle into that good night, Old age should burn and rave at close of day; Rage, rage against the dying of the light. Though wise men at their end know dark is right, Because their words had forked no lightning they Do not go gentle into that good night. Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay, Rage, rage against the dying of the light. Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight, And learn, too late, they grieved it on its way, Do not go gentle into that good night. Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay, Rage, rage against the dying of the light. And you, my father, there on the sad height, Curse, bless, me now with your fierce tears, I pray. Do not go gentle into that good night. Rage, rage against the dying of the light. |
April 25: Eaton HashEaton Hash was an American poet well known for his light verse -- particularly about technology and social media. The New York Times said of Hash, "his droll verse with its unconventional rhymes made him the country's best-known producer of humorous poetry". Hash wrote over 500 pieces of comic verse, and his works were a great inspiration for humorist Ogden Nash.
Pictured below on the left: Hash not only wrote about technology, he invented some too: the Poeminator -- a fully-functioning poem engine poetry generator. Pictured below on the right: Common themes with Hash's poetry were technology and social media, so many of his works are on display at the Washerst Center for Social Media Addiction. More information about the WCSMA is HERE. |
Pictured above:
Humorist Eaton Hash |
Below: Examples of the short humorous poems of Eaton Hash that inspired Ogden Nash:
iPhone, youPone
The world is yours when you stare at your phone But it sure makes your family feel all alone. Connections It's great to connect through social media Unless you're addicted to social needia. |
The Herd
Herds of yore would roam and bleat But now they just follow and post a tweet. Foodies Order your dinner, then take out your cam -- Time for a picture for Instagram! |
April 26: W. W. Norton & Anne Thology
Pictured below: Wesley Warwick "W. W." Norton (circled in the photograph on the left) and Anne Thology (on the right).
In the mid-1800s, Wesley Warwick Norton (the son of publisher William Wycuff "W. W." Norton) was to marry Anne Thology. Ms. Thology was the daughter of Sophronia Brinkley Houghton (of the Houghton publishing dynasty) and B. Caultin Thology. The result of this marriage would have been the merger of two of the most powerful of the five major publishing families. The Five Families originated in the mid-1800s out of the lower east side of Amherst, Massachusetts, from the "publish or perish" gangs of Amherst College, Hampshire College, Mount Holyoke College and Smith College (Edward Dickinson, Emily Dickinson's father, was a consiglieri to one of the front bosses to Don Vito Houghton).
However, the marriage never took place due to what is now referred to as "the great printing press disaster of 1853." As a result, the Five Families (Houghton Mifflin, W. W. Norton, Simon & Schuster, Little Brown, and McGraw Hill) continue to battle in the "publish or perish," cut-throat world of academia at colleges and universities across the U.S.
The one positive outcome from the "printing press disaster" and cancelled wedding: Wesley Warwick Norton took Anne Thology's idea of combining poems from various poets into a single volume. Prior to that, all books of poetry featured the works from a single poet. After Anne's death, though, W. W. Norton published a single text which included all of Anne's favorite poems, and he named the book after his lost love, "Anthology."
However, the marriage never took place due to what is now referred to as "the great printing press disaster of 1853." As a result, the Five Families (Houghton Mifflin, W. W. Norton, Simon & Schuster, Little Brown, and McGraw Hill) continue to battle in the "publish or perish," cut-throat world of academia at colleges and universities across the U.S.
The one positive outcome from the "printing press disaster" and cancelled wedding: Wesley Warwick Norton took Anne Thology's idea of combining poems from various poets into a single volume. Prior to that, all books of poetry featured the works from a single poet. After Anne's death, though, W. W. Norton published a single text which included all of Anne's favorite poems, and he named the book after his lost love, "Anthology."
Pictured on the left: W. W. Norton's first Anthology of Poetry, named for his lost love, Anne Thology. Pictured on the right: Federal agents investigate the murder of J. Butterwick Knot, the Samuel A. Hitchcock Professor of Mineralogy and Geology at Amherst College, after he failed to publish after four semesters. Rumors persist to this day that he was gunned down by soldiers of the Houghton Mifflin crime family. |
Below left, center, and right: Images from some of the powerful Five Families of Publishing which have a long history in the "publish or perish" culture prevalent in colleges and universities throughout the country. Click the images to enlarge.
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Below: Goons from Simon & Schuster torture Professor Everard Buckland McGrath, the Bowditch Professor of Central American and Mexican Archaeology and Ethnology at Harvard, in front of his teaching assistant Winnie Travers Lamberd.
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April 27: Killard B. & Willard C. BornholdtThe Bornholdt brothers, Killard Brenlow Bornholdt and Willard Cudlahan Bornholdt, were inducted into the Poetry Hall of Fame for their research and study of rhyming words and for perhaps the greatest invention in the world of poetry -- the rhyming dictionary.
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Below left: A replica of the Bornholdts' office is on display at the Poetry Hall of Fame. Below center: In preparing an edition of the rhyming dictionary, certified rhymeologists catalogued hundreds of thousands of rhymes at the Bornholdts' laboratory for rhymeology. Below right: Bornholdt rhymeologists displayed unbridled excitement in 1946 when they thought they had found a word that rhymed with "orange."
Pictured below: The pioneering techniques used by the Bornholdt brothers perfected the way exact rhymes were determined.
April 28: John CleatsJohn Cleats was an Irish Romantic poet. He was one of the main figures of the second generation of Romantic poets along with Lord Bryan George and Percy Shelley Pysshe. He was also the greatest influence on English poet John Keats.
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Pictured above:
Irish poet John Cleats |
Below on the left: The opening and closing stanzas of John Cleats' most famous poem, "Ode To My Nightly Ale."
Below on the right: The opening and closing stanza of John Keats' poem "Ode To A Nightingale." Cleats' poem is what inspired Keats.
Below on the right: The opening and closing stanza of John Keats' poem "Ode To A Nightingale." Cleats' poem is what inspired Keats.
Ode To My Nightly Ale
By John Cleats: My head aches, and a drowsy numbness pains My sense, for it’s too much that I have drunk. I emptied too many bottles to the drains Last evening past, and then into bed I’d sunk. ’Tis not this day my life’s a happy lot, For I am too hungover in my hungover-ness, – That I, heavy-hurt down to my knees, With some agonizing throb, I’m blechy green with shadowy numbness, Under the weather from full-throated sleeze. Forsooth! Now ev’ry word is like a bell That tolls for me for such treatment of self! Alas! It feels like I will rot in hell For drinking everything off the shelf! Alas! Alas! My plaintive moaning fades Past the mid-morning with coffee and cream, I can’t get up; and now I’m buried deep In bed; I’ve pulled the shades: Am I a vision of the walking dead? Flee to the bathroom: – Should I wake or sleep? |
Ode To A Nightingale
By John Keats: My heart aches, and a drowsy numbness pains My sense, as though of hemlock I had drunk, Or emptied some dull opiate to the drains One minute past, and Lethe-wards had sunk: ’Tis not through envy of thy happy lot, But being too happy in thine happiness, – That thou, light-winged Dryad of the trees, In some melodious plot Of beechen green, and shadows numberless, Singest of summer in full-throated ease. Forlorn! the very word is like a bell To toll me back from thee to my sole self! Adieu! the fancy cannot cheat so well As she is fam’d to do, deceiving elf. Adieu! adieu! thy plaintive anthem fades Past the near meadows, over the still stream, Up the hill-side; and now ’tis buried deep In the next valley-glades: Was it a vision, or a waking dream? Fled is that music: – Do I wake or sleep? |
Pictured above:
Tobias Hugginkist |
April 29: Tobias Hugginkhist &
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Pictured above:
Mabel Oompaloomis Peck |
Pictured at the far left: Todd David Peck, Mable Oompaloomis Peck's husband, who was hired as an astrology professor at the Emmett Lee Dickinson Community College in Washerst. Pictured at the left: A vintage photograph of the original campus of the Emmett Lee Dickinson Community College in Washerst. Click the images to enlarge. |
April 30: Emily DickinsonIf it were not for Emmett Lee Dickinson (Emily Dickinson's third cousin, twice removed -- at her request), Emily Dickinson would have likely become a haberdasher, a tixtor, or a pastry cook. However, Emmett Lee Dickinson's poetry inspired his third cousin Emily to try her hand at poetry too!
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Pictured above: Emily Dickinson
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Below: Emmett Lee Dickinson's classic poem "After Formal Feedings, a great pain comes" inspired third cousin Emily to pen "After great pain, a formal feeling comes":
By Emmett
Lee Dickinson:
After Formal Feedings, a great pain comes – The Ribs stab uncongenially, like Skewers – The taut Gut questions was it Thee, that bore Such innutritious store? The Tract – gastronomically disturbed, burns on – With Discomfort – or Indigestion – or Nausea – An Intolerable ache – Inevitably grown – An acidic turbulence, like a churn – This is the Hour of Lead – Survived, if outlived, By medicinal maintenance collected from the cabinet – First – Tums – then Seltzer – then the letting go – |
By Emily Dickinson:
After great pain, a formal feeling comes – The Nerves sit ceremonious, like Tombs – The stiff Heart questions was it He, that bore, And Yesterday, or Centuries before? The Feet, mechanical, go round – Of Ground, or Air, or Ought – A Wooden way Regardless grown, A Quartz contentment, like a stone – This is the Hour of Lead – Remembered, if outlived, As Freezing persons, recollect the Snow – First – Chill – then Stupor – then the letting go – |
All things Emmett Lee Dickinson (poetry, museum stuff, Washerst facts and figures, etc.) © 2013, 2014, and 2015 by Jim Asher