\"Writing.Com
*Magnify*
SPONSORED LINKS
Printed from https://shop.writing.com/main/newsletters/action/archives/id/4931-Denise-Levertov.html
Poetry: March 14, 2012 Issue [#4931]

Newsletter Header
Poetry


 This week: Denise Levertov
  Edited by: Stormy Lady Author IconMail Icon
                             More Newsletters By This Editor  Open in new Window.

Table of Contents

1. About this Newsletter
2. A Word from our Sponsor
3. Letter from the Editor
4. Editor's Picks
5. A Word from Writing.Com
6. Ask & Answer
7. Removal instructions

About This Newsletter

This is poetry from the minds and the hearts of poets on Writing.Com. The poems I am going to be exposing throughout this newsletter are ones that I have found to be, very visual, mood setting and uniquely done. Stormy Lady Author Icon


Word from our sponsor



Letter from the editor

Wanting The Moon
by Denise Levertov

Not the moon. A flower
on the other side of the water.

The water sweeps past in flood,
dragging a whole tree by the hair,

a barn, a bridge. The flower
sings on the far bank.

Not a flower, a bird calling
hidden among the darkest trees, music

over the water, making a silence
out of the brown folds of the river's cloak.

The moon. No, a young man walking
under the trees. There are lanterns

among the leaves.
Tender, wise, merry,

his face is awake with its own light,
I see it across the water as if close up.

A jester. The music rings from his bells,
gravely, a tune of sorrow,

I dance to it on my riverbank.

On October 24, 1923 Paul Levertov and his wife Beatrice gave birth to a baby girl, Denise Levertov. The Levertov family lived in Ilford, Essex, England. Levertov was homeschooled by her mother. It is said by the young age of five she told everyone she wanted to be a writer. Then by the age of twelve she even sent her poems to poet T.S. Eliot, who gave her encouragement to continue writing. Levertov published her first poem by the age of seventeen.

During WII Levertov served as the civilian nurse in London. During this time she wrote her first book The Double Image. In 1947 she married Mitchell Goodman and the two moved New York City. The couple had a son together, Nickolai, but their marriage eventually ended in divorce. In 1956 Levertov became a U.S. citizen. Her next book Here and Now, was published in 1956. Levertov was an activist and a feminist. She was also and editor on and off for many years, editing books like, "The Nation" in 1961 and "Mother Jones" 1975. Levertov also taught creative writing at Standford University.

In 1975 she won the Lenore Marshall Poerty Prize for her book Freezing the Dust. Levertov is probably best known for the poetry she wrote during the Vietnam War in the book The Sorrow Dance. In 1989 Levertov moved to Seattle Washington, she spent her last ten years writing poetry. Levertov passed away on December 20th, 1997 due to complications of lymphoma. Her last book of poetry, This Great Unknowing: Last Poems, was published postmortem in 1999.


The Rainwalkers
by Denise Levertov

An old man whose black face
shines golden-brown as wet pebbles
under the streetlamp, is walking two mongrel dogs of dis-
proportionate size, in the rain,
in the relaxed early-evening avenue.

The small sleek one wants to stop,
docile to the imploring soul of the trashbasket,
but the young tall curly one
wants to walk on; the glistening sidewalkentices him to arcane happenings.

Increasing rain. The old bareheaded man
smiles and grumbles to himself.
The lights change: the avenue's
endless nave echoes notes of
liturgical red. He drifts

between his dogs' desires.
The three of them are enveloped -
turning now to go crosstown - in their
sense of each other, of pleasure,
of weather, of corners,
of leisurely tensions between them
and private silence.

Losing Track
by Denise Levertov

Long after you have swung back
away from me
I think you are still with me:

you come in close to the shore
on the tide
and nudge me awake the way

a boat adrift nudges the pier:
am I a pier
half-in half-out of the water?

and in the pleasure of that communion
I lose track,
the moon I watch goes down, the

tide swings you away before
I know I'm
alone again long since,

mud sucking at gray and black
timbers of me,
a light growth of green dreams drying.



Thank you all!
Stormy Lady Author Icon

A logo for Poetry Newsletter Editors
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Editor's Picks

This is poetry from the minds and the hearts of poets on Writing.Com. The poems I am going to be exposing throughout this newsletter are ones that I have found to be, very visual, mood setting and uniquely done. Stormy Lady Author Icon


Thank you all!
Stormy Lady Author Icon

A logo for Poetry Newsletter Editors
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The winner of "Stormy's poetry newsletter & contestOpen in new Window. [ASR] is:

 Invalid Item Open in new Window.
This item number is not valid.
#1851065 by Not Available.



"Choices"


Bruises:
burned turning points
challenged by rocky paths
Changed my life's destiny; the scars
healing.




~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


These are the rules:

1) You must use the words I give in a poem or prose with no limits on length.

2) The words can be in any order and anywhere throughout the poem and can be any form of the word.

3) All entries must be posted in your portfolio and you must post the link in this forum, "Stormy's poetry newsletter & contestOpen in new Window. [ASR] by April 8, 2012.

4) The winner will get 3000 gift points and the poem will be displayed in this section of the newsletter the next time it is my turn to post (Apirl 11, 2012)

The words are:


river lanterns owl merry echoes moonbeams weeps cloak


*Delight* Good luck to all *Delight*

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 Invalid Item Open in new Window.
This item number is not valid.
#1853130 by Not Available.

 
Image Protector
STATIC
Me Mathair’s Shillelagh Open in new Window. (ASR)
Don't mess with an Irish mother and her shillelagh.
#1853340 by Winnie Kay Author IconMail Icon

 Dragon's Wish Open in new Window. (E)
Even dragons have wishes...
#1853594 by Fyn Author IconMail Icon

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 Invalid Item Open in new Window.
This item number is not valid.
#1851666 by Not Available.

 Rain on Stone Open in new Window. (E)
Rain falling in a cemetery. Inspired by "Angels weep in the garden of hopelessness"
#1853567 by rjsimonson Author IconMail Icon

 A Life of Roses Open in new Window. (E)
A rhyming poem on the excellence and dedication we continue to strive for.
#1853299 by Tim Chiu Author IconMail Icon

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 Still Soul -- Third Place Winner Open in new Window. (E)
Hour Glass form 4,3,2,1,2,3,4 no rhyme -- Poem a day entry
#1851141 by idoj Author IconMail Icon

 Invalid Item Open in new Window.
This item number is not valid.
#1853450 by Not Available.

 Invalid Item Open in new Window.
This item number is not valid.
#1853800 by Not Available.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 
Submit an item for consideration in this newsletter!
https://www.Writing.Com/go/nl_form

Word from Writing.Com

Have an opinion on what you've read here today? Then send the Editor feedback! Find an item that you think would be perfect for showcasing here? Submit it for consideration in the newsletter!
         https://www.Writing.Com/go/nl_form

Don't forget to support our sponsor!

ASIN: B01DSJSURY
Amazon's Price: $ 5.99


Ask & Answer


*Bullet* *Bullet* *Bullet* Don't Be Shy! Write Into This Newsletter! *Bullet* *Bullet* *Bullet*

This form allows you to submit an item on Writing.Com and feedback, comments or questions to the Writing.Com Newsletter Editors. In some cases, due to the volume of submissions we receive, please understand that all feedback and submissions may not be responded to or listed in a newsletter. Thank you, in advance, for any feedback you can provide!
Writing.Com Item ID To Highlight (Optional):

Send a comment or question to the editor!
Limited to 2,500 characters.
Word from our sponsor
ASIN: B085272J6B
Product Type: Kindle Store
Amazon's Price: $ 9.99

Removal Instructions

To stop receiving this newsletter, click here for your newsletter subscription list. Simply uncheck the box next to any newsletter(s) you wish to cancel and then click to "Submit Changes". You can edit your subscriptions at any time.


Printed from https://shop.writing.com/main/newsletters/action/archives/id/4931-Denise-Levertov.html