Favorite Poems

[Angeline]

I've seen variations of this question here, and I just recently found it on another poetry site: What poems do you love so much that you'd recommend them to others? The site I saw said give your ten favorite poems. So that's my question:

What are the ten poems you love best (or ten of the much larger group of your favorites )?

Post your list with or without links to them. And, if you can't come up with ten, list however many you have. I'd love to know which poems are your favorites.

Here's my list, in no particular order.

1. The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock by TS Eliot
2. When You Are Old by William Butler Yeats
3. Sailing to Byzantium by William Butler Yeats
4. One Art by Elizabeth Bishop
5. Forgetfulness by Billy Collins
6. I Am Waiting by Lawrence Ferlinghetti
7. Follower by Seamus Heaney
8. If You Forget Me by Pablo Neruda
9. Sonnet 138 by William Shakespeare

10. Sonnet #2 by Ted Berrigan (posted below cause I coudn't find a link)

Dear Margie, hello. It is 5:15 a.m

dear Berrigan. He died
Back to books. I read
It's 8:30 p.m. in New York and I've been running around
all day
old come-all-ye's streel into the streets. Yes, it is now,
How Much Longer Shall I Be Able To Inhabit the Divine
and the day a bright gray turning green
feminine marvelous and tough
watching the sun come up over the Navy Yard
to write scotch-tape body in a notebook
had 17 and 1/2 milligrams
Dear Margie, hello. It is 5:15 a.m.
fucked til 7 now she's late to work and I'm
18 so why are my hands shaking I should know better
__________________________________

Try it; it's fun to reread poems you love!

 

[HomerPindar]

That's a toughie...being illiterate and all...

The first one that pops into my head is Eliot's The Wasteland, but I really only LOVE the line "I will show you fear in a handful of dust"

Dunno, I just love that line.

I tend to write poetry to challenge myself with words and I don't read as much poetry...

and if this means fifty lashes with a wet noodle, then so be it!

BRING IT ON!

HomerPindar

 

[Angeline]

and if this means fifty lashes with a wet noodle, then so be it!

BRING IT ON!

I know you just want me whip you. You could just read the poems on my list, yknow.

 

[HomerPindar]

I know you just want me whip you. You could just read the poems on my list, yknow.

damn...she caught on...

and here I was thinking you could scream them at me while ...

ok, nevermind.

HomerPindar

 

[karmadog]

I will show you fear in a handful of dust

Allergies, huh?

 

[HomerPindar]

Allergies, huh?

LoL, actually, no I don't have any...but that might be why I liked that line so much then.

HomerPindar

 

[Angeline]

k-dog!!!!!

A thousand kisses at seeing your canine countenance in my thread! I'll put my sleazy AV back up if you'll drop by the board more often!

 

[Angeline]

and here I was thinking you could scream them at me while ...

Are you quoting from Eve's poem?

 

[HomerPindar]

Are you quoting from Eve's poem?

No, but great idea!

I've been giving this thread some thought tonite... mainly because I didn't want to be the one to derail it entirely,and it looks like I might have.

My biggest influence, poetically, is in song lyrics. Never mind a debate on the differences here...I've written whole manuscripts while listening, over and over, to certain cd's/tapes/alblums. So, it's a might bit off topic, but here's a list of those influences in no particular order -

Jesus Christ Superstar Soundtrack - my favorite musical, and I've yet to see a production.
Joe Jackson and Friends - Heaven and Hell - a song for each of the seven deadly sins, a beautiful rendition of hell.
Blues Traveler - Just Wait - one song off of Four that I could replay over and over.
Peter Himmelmen - Skin - An alblum about the value of life learn through dieing.
Kevin Gilbert - Thud - ok, so I'm showing my white middle class background here...I'm getting old, and Black Sabbath this ain't.

Those are the ones that come right to mind. Hope this helps but the thread back towards the tracks, if not on them


HomerPindar

 

[Angeline]

JCS

Jesus Christ Superstar Soundtrack

Ok this is sooo politically incorrect for me to admit, but I loved it too, lol. I had a major crush on Carl "Heaven on Their Minds" Anderson for years after seeing the movie. Ironically a good friend of mine has starred in it twice (in the Wash Crossing Open Air thingy, you know where I mean neighbor, lol) and we called it erm Leave it to Jesus.

 

[HomerPindar]

Re: JCS

Ok this is sooo politically incorrect for me to admit, but I loved it too, lol. I had a major crush on Carl "Heaven on Their Minds" Anderson for years after seeing the movie. Ironically a good friend of mine has starred in it twice (in the Wash Crossing Open Air thingy, you know where I mean neighbor, lol) and we called it erm Leave it to Jesus.

Anderson's still playing Jesus actually, in the latest return to philly even...whenever that is/was this year.

Leave it to Jesus huh...now ya really bein politically incorrect... woohoo!

HomerPindar

 

[apexpark]

this isnt a poem, its from a song by fiona apple. i think its one of the most beautiful yet sad things ive ever heard though.

I was staring at the sky,
just looking for a star-
to pray on, or wish on, or something like that.
i was having the sweet fix,
of a daydream of a boy,
whos reality i knew-
was a hopeless to be had.
But then the dove of hope,
began his downward slope.
and i believed for a moment,
that my chanced were,
approaching to be grabbed.
But as it came down near,
so did a weary tear.
i thought it was a bird,
but it was just a paper bag.