Sylvia Plath

Blue Mountain Arts, a publisher of distinct greeting cards, is seeking rhyming and non-rhyming poems from poets for its 23rd Poetry Card Contest. First place is $300; Second place is $150; and Third place is $50. Judges would like to see poetry that deals with true emotions and feelings as they relate a somebody special or to a special event in life. There is no entry fee, and poets can submit as many poems as they wish.

Deadline is December 31, 2013.

Books and Movies

Der Panther      Im Jardin des Plantes, Paris

Sein Blick ist von Vorübergehen der Stäbe
so müd geworden, daß er nichts mehr hält.
Ihm ist, als ob es tausend Stäbe gäbe
und hinter tausend Stäben keine Welt.

Der weiche Gang geschmeidig starker Schritte,
der sich im allerkleinsten Kreise dreht,
ist wie ein Tanz von Kraft um eine Mitte,
in der betäubt ein großer Wille steht.

Nur manchmal schiebt der Vorhang der Pupille
sich lautlos auf—. Dann geht ein Bild hinein,
geht durch der Glieder angespannte Stille—
und hört im Herzen auf zu sein.

The Panther        In the Jardin des Plantes, Paris

His gaze is from the passing of bars
so exhausted,  that it doesn't hold a thing anymore.
For him, it's as if there were thousands of bars
and behind the thousands of bars no world.

The sure stride of lithe, powerful steps,
that around the smallest of circles turns,
is like a dance of pure energy about a center,
in which a great will stands numbed.

Only occasionally, without a sound, do the covers
of the eyes slide open—. An image rushes in,
goes through the tensed silence of the frame—
only to vanish, forever, in the heart.

(tr. Cliff Crego)

POETRY PROJECT 2014

Join this year's global poetry project today!

I see many of you showing interest in this project, but I see no submissions!

Head on over to the contact page to send in a poem.

Or shoot me an email at craigemily13@gmail.com.

I would love to see this project grow, but I can only do that with YOUR help!

Thank you for those few who have sent in poems already, it means the world to me.

http://thepoetryproject2014.wordpress.com/