childhood – POETRY and PLACES

Canada by Billy Collins

Canadaby Billy Collins I am writing this on a strip of white birch barkthat I cut from a tree with a penknife.There is no other way to express adequatelythe immensity of the clouds that are passing over the farmsand wooded lakes of Ontario and the endless visibilitythat hands you the horizon on a platter. IContinue reading “Canada by Billy Collins”

Ode to an Encyclopedia by James Arthur

Ode to an Encyclopediaby James Arthur O hefty hardcover on the built-in shelf in my parents’ living room,O authority stamped on linen paper, molted from your dust jacket,Questing Beast of blue and gold, you were my companion on beige afternoons that came slanting through the curtainsbehind the rough upholstered chair. You knew how to trimContinue reading “Ode to an Encyclopedia by James Arthur”