Definitions
Poetry --
I have selected poems that I believe will give us the basis for conversation and serve as a catalyst for introspection. We will look at contemporary as well as classical, “spiritual” as well as “secular” poetry. You do not have to be a poetry lover or even fully understand a poem for you to get a sense of your response and why. This is what we will pay attention to—what does the poem say to you, how would you change it if it was yours, how does it make you feel, what does it make you think of, etc?
Writing --
You will be introduced to various forms of poetry, which may include the ode, haiku, epistle, elegy, etc. You are not expected to write any particular form. The writing time is to allow you to reflect on what we’ve read and discussed, and to give you an opportunity to respond in your own voice. Often, it is by writing in verse that we have a clearer sense of our inner fabric, and our connection with the Divine.
Reflection --
I will suggest writings, readings, and “projects” for you to during the week. We live in a busy and often complicated world, so don’t worry…the suggestions are not taxing nor time consuming. Rather, they are given in support of keeping the thread flowing week to week. Do what resonates with you. Disregard the suggestions that do not.
Meditation & Prayer --
As we commune with one another these eight weeks on our spiritual path, we will also spend time at the beginning and ending of each session in silence. This time is set aside for us to attempt to quite our minds and slow our bodies that we may give our attention to the Spirit. No religious beliefs will be imposed, and this time will be for you to find your own way while being supported in a safe space. Some of the meditations will be guided and follow the theme of that particular day.
Definition of Poetic Forms
Elegy
The elegy began as an ancient Greek metrical form and is traditionally written in response to the death of a person or group. Though similar in function, the elegy is distinct from the epitaph, ode, and eulogy: the epitaph is very brief; the ode solely exalts; and the eulogy is most often written in formal prose.
Epistle
A letter in verse, usually addressed to a person close to the writer. Its themes may be moral and philosophical, or intimate and sentimental. The epistle peaked in popularity in the 18th century, though Lord Byron and Robert Browning composed several in the next century; see Byron’s “Epistle to Augusta.” Less formal, more conversational versions of the epistle can be found in contemporary lyric poetry; see Hayden Carruth’s “The Afterlife: Letter to Sam Hamill” or “Dear Mr. Fanelli” by Charles Bernstein.
Free verse
Nonmetrical, nonrhyming lines that closely follow the natural rhythms of speech. A regular pattern of sound or rhythm may emerge in free-verse lines, but the poet does not adhere to a metrical plan in their composition. Matthew Arnold and Walt Whitman explored the possibilities of nonmetrical poetry in the 19th century. Since the early 20th century, the majority of published lyric poetry has been written in free verse. See the work of William Carlos Williams, T.S. Eliot, Ezra Pound, and H.D.
Haiku
A Japanese verse form of three unrhyming lines in five, seven, and five syllables. It creates a single, memorable image.
Ode
“Ode” comes from the Greek aeidein, meaning to sing or chant, and belongs to the long and varied tradition of lyric poetry. Originally accompanied by music and dance, and later reserved by the Romantic poets to convey their strongest sentiments, the ode can be generalized as a formal address to an event, a person, or a thing not present.
Pastoral
Verse in the tradition of Theocritus (3 BCE), who wrote idealized accounts of shepherds and their loves living simple, virtuous lives in Arcadia, a mountainous region of Greece. Poets writing in English drew on the pastoral tradition by retreating from the trappings of modernity to the imagined virtues and romance of rural life.
Psalm
A sacred song; a poetical composition for use in the praise or worship of God.
Sonnet
A 14-line poem with a variable rhyme scheme originating in Italy and brought to England by Sir Thomas Wyatt and Henry Howard, earl of Surrey in the 16th century. Literally a “little song,” the sonnet traditionally reflects upon a single sentiment, with a clarification or “turn” of thought in its concluding lines. There are many different types of sonnets.
I have selected poems that I believe will give us the basis for conversation and serve as a catalyst for introspection. We will look at contemporary as well as classical, “spiritual” as well as “secular” poetry. You do not have to be a poetry lover or even fully understand a poem for you to get a sense of your response and why. This is what we will pay attention to—what does the poem say to you, how would you change it if it was yours, how does it make you feel, what does it make you think of, etc?
Writing --
You will be introduced to various forms of poetry, which may include the ode, haiku, epistle, elegy, etc. You are not expected to write any particular form. The writing time is to allow you to reflect on what we’ve read and discussed, and to give you an opportunity to respond in your own voice. Often, it is by writing in verse that we have a clearer sense of our inner fabric, and our connection with the Divine.
Reflection --
I will suggest writings, readings, and “projects” for you to during the week. We live in a busy and often complicated world, so don’t worry…the suggestions are not taxing nor time consuming. Rather, they are given in support of keeping the thread flowing week to week. Do what resonates with you. Disregard the suggestions that do not.
Meditation & Prayer --
As we commune with one another these eight weeks on our spiritual path, we will also spend time at the beginning and ending of each session in silence. This time is set aside for us to attempt to quite our minds and slow our bodies that we may give our attention to the Spirit. No religious beliefs will be imposed, and this time will be for you to find your own way while being supported in a safe space. Some of the meditations will be guided and follow the theme of that particular day.
Definition of Poetic Forms
Elegy
The elegy began as an ancient Greek metrical form and is traditionally written in response to the death of a person or group. Though similar in function, the elegy is distinct from the epitaph, ode, and eulogy: the epitaph is very brief; the ode solely exalts; and the eulogy is most often written in formal prose.
Epistle
A letter in verse, usually addressed to a person close to the writer. Its themes may be moral and philosophical, or intimate and sentimental. The epistle peaked in popularity in the 18th century, though Lord Byron and Robert Browning composed several in the next century; see Byron’s “Epistle to Augusta.” Less formal, more conversational versions of the epistle can be found in contemporary lyric poetry; see Hayden Carruth’s “The Afterlife: Letter to Sam Hamill” or “Dear Mr. Fanelli” by Charles Bernstein.
Free verse
Nonmetrical, nonrhyming lines that closely follow the natural rhythms of speech. A regular pattern of sound or rhythm may emerge in free-verse lines, but the poet does not adhere to a metrical plan in their composition. Matthew Arnold and Walt Whitman explored the possibilities of nonmetrical poetry in the 19th century. Since the early 20th century, the majority of published lyric poetry has been written in free verse. See the work of William Carlos Williams, T.S. Eliot, Ezra Pound, and H.D.
Haiku
A Japanese verse form of three unrhyming lines in five, seven, and five syllables. It creates a single, memorable image.
Ode
“Ode” comes from the Greek aeidein, meaning to sing or chant, and belongs to the long and varied tradition of lyric poetry. Originally accompanied by music and dance, and later reserved by the Romantic poets to convey their strongest sentiments, the ode can be generalized as a formal address to an event, a person, or a thing not present.
Pastoral
Verse in the tradition of Theocritus (3 BCE), who wrote idealized accounts of shepherds and their loves living simple, virtuous lives in Arcadia, a mountainous region of Greece. Poets writing in English drew on the pastoral tradition by retreating from the trappings of modernity to the imagined virtues and romance of rural life.
Psalm
A sacred song; a poetical composition for use in the praise or worship of God.
Sonnet
A 14-line poem with a variable rhyme scheme originating in Italy and brought to England by Sir Thomas Wyatt and Henry Howard, earl of Surrey in the 16th century. Literally a “little song,” the sonnet traditionally reflects upon a single sentiment, with a clarification or “turn” of thought in its concluding lines. There are many different types of sonnets.