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Celebrating poetry
Happy National Poetry Month, everyone! April is a month-long celebration of American poetry, and to kick it off we’re sharing one of Karen Jean Matsko Hood’s lovely poems from Frost of Spring Green. Hood’s widely acclaimed poetry has been published in numerous national and international literary journals and her words bring meaning and power to the simple, ordinary topics. Frost of Spring Green is her first poetry collection published by Whispering Pine Press International. With its beautiful imagery, poignant symbolism, and meticulous crafting, Hood’s poetry will delight readers and bring them to a new appreciation of the world around them.
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Oaken Planks
Raised grains of sun-bleached oaken planks
lie beneath my calloused feet,
Weary from the days of work.
The prints unfold to read as tea leaves.
Mapped in hardwood below each cracked sole.
Full of pain with every new step
The mighty oak tree weaves a tale,
Seeing eyes of time recorded.
A hundred years of mighty pride,
Producing acorn’s providence
For generations of squirrels
Eager to devour each tender morsel.
Golden leaves spread to the ground
Swirling down to parched souls,
Waiting for the winter frost
To dance across the oaken casts’ thorny thistles.
© Karen Jean Matsko Hood 2011
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Join in the celebration of great American poets like Karen Jean Matsko Hood this month: attend a poetry reading at your local bookstore or library, take a poetry class at the community college, or set yourself the goal of reading one poem a day during April. No matter how you choose to commemorate this special time of year, remember to take a few moments to slow down in your hectic life and notice the small, wondrous details of the world around you. Poetry is everywhere, even in seemingly insignificant things.
Order Frost of Spring Green today as part of your celebration of National Poetry Month!
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Morning Reflections: Prayers for Everyday Life
Morning Reflections by Karen Jean Matsko Hood is the first book in the Inspirational Reflections Series by Whispering Pine Press International. I have had this book for several weeks now, and have thoroughly enjoyed waking up to its peaceful and uplifting devotionals. Each page features a Bible verse followed by one of Hood’s original poems, with a brief but insightful prayer completing the day’s reading. The devotionals are centered around themes that are reflected in verse, poem, and prayer alike, and this allows the reader to really concentrate on the message and internalize it. The poetry is simple yet poignant, a powerful and often elegant contemplation of various facets of the Christian walk. Thankfulness, praise, the filling of the Holy Spirit, the struggle to live righteously in a difficult world–all these topics and many more are meditated upon in Morning Reflections. I have found that my mornings tend to start much more smoothly when I set aside the time to quietly reflect on God, and Karen Hood‘s gentle, thoughtful words make it easy and enjoyable to do just that.
In the back of the book are three separate indexes that are helpful for finding a particular devotional quickly and easily: Index by First Line, Index by Bible Verse, and an Alphabetical Index. I really appreciated having these indexes handy to help me navigate the book to find my favorite poems and prayers again.
Morning Reflections also offers several other extra touches that I thought were particularly nice. There are several blank pages at the beginning of the book to provide space to write out my own thoughts on the reflection of the day, and there is a another page where you can fill in a personal message if you want to give Morning Reflections as a gift. There is a Reader Feedback form that can be mailed to Whispering Pine Press, something I have never seen before in a book and really appreciated because it shows that the publishers are truly interested in treating their readers right.
Order your copy of Morning Reflections today!
Frost of Spring Green Provides Insight and Beauty
Karen Hood’s first collection of poetry, Frost of Spring Green, is a masterful collection of poems in a wide range of topics that will delight serious readers of poetry and those new to the genre alike. The poems deal with a wide range of topics including nature, everyday life, social and environmental issues, and the deepest, most profound emotions experienced by all of us.
Hood’s poetry is clear and confident, elegant in its simplicity. She is adept at crafting layers of meaning and impact that work on the heart over time, providing powerful insight into the wonders of the natural world and the human condition. At first glance, her poems appear straightforward and can be easily read and grasped by those inexperienced in the nuances of poetry. A deeper reading, however, will prove that there is much for a more experienced reader to discover beneath the surface.
Frost of Spring Green‘s imagery is powerfully visual, painting vivid pictures that are poignant and breathtaking whether the subject is a beautiful flower or mountain vista, or the cardboard box an orphaned, homeless child has used to construct a home for herself. Hood’s metaphors are equally strong, and with them she is able to bring the reader to a deeper understanding of her themes. Her knowledge of the craft is excellent, and she demonstrates an innate skill with rhyme and meter that enhances the impact of her poetry–although she also knows when to withhold them. Alliteration is used to create greater emphasis on particular phrases that will linger hauntingly long after the book has been set aside. One of Hood’s favorite devices is the use of stark contrasts, comparing and sometimes even equating opposites in such powerful ways that the poem creates a lasting effect on the reader. Personally, I have never encountered a poet who crafts more potent contrasts than Karen Hood.
Frost of Spring Green is a compelling read for anyone who enjoys poetry. It provides the opportunity to slow down and consider the world we live in, in all its beauty and heartbreak–a rare thing in this hectic modern lifestyle. I will close my review with one of my favorite poems from this collection, one that demonstrates the depth and power in Karen Hood’s writing.
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Night Whistle
Do you remember that
Hot August night?
Iowa humidity so dense
You could backstroke in the breeze.
Mom and Dad, we came home with
You, back to our tiny apartment.
The brassy train whistle
Pierced our silence.
One quiet night with you, now
Dead within my body.
My beautiful dark-haired
First baby boy, still.
The last long night
I shared together with you.
Karen Jean Matsko Hood ©2010
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Order your copy of Frost of Spring Green today!
Frost of Spring Green ©2010 & 2011
Frost of Spring Green ©2004 & 2005
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April is National Poetry Month
“The oldest word for poetry in ancient Greek is poesis, which means “making.” A poet is a maker, and a poem is a made thing. Poetry is not simply a medium for raw self-expression, but an art…”
The above quote is from Edward Hirsch, best-selling author of How to Read a Poem and Fall in Love with Poetry. On Oprah’s site, Hirsch shares how he uncovered his passion for poetry and why he was determined to make it his life’s purpose. To read the complete article by click here. You will also be able to read a poem from his new collection, The Living Fire.
Did You Know That You Can Write Poetry
Honor Moore, an American writer who writes poetry, creative nonfiction and plays, shares tips on how to write poetry… Let’s say I’m sitting in that room with you now. Take out a pad and pen, your favorite pen—the one that just slides across the paper. Be sure you have an hour or so, so you can take your time with each prompt.
12 Ways to Write a Poem
- Make a list of five things you did today, in the order you did them.
- Quickly write down three colors.
- Write down a dream. If you can’t remember one, make it up.
- Take 15 minutes to write an early childhood memory, using language a child would use.
- Write a forbidden thought, to someone who would understand.
- Write a forbidden thought, to someone who would not.
- Make a list of five of your favorite “transitional objects.” Choose one and describe it in detail.
- Write down three questions you’d ask as if they were the last questions you could ever ask.
- Write down an aphorism (e.g. “A stitch in time saves nine”).
- Write down three slant rhymes, pairs of words that share one or two consonants rather than vowels (moon/mine and long/thing are slant rhymes).
- Write three things people have said to you in the past 48 hours. Quote them as closely as you can.
- Write the last extreme pain you had, emotional or physical. If the pain were an animal, what animal would it be? Describe the animal.
Tips
- Use one of the questions as the first line, each of the colors more than once, the slant rhymes, and the aphorism with a word or two changed.
- Try using any part of, or all of, the material in any way you want—a line from your dream might work well on its own or your description of the animal might better describe your great uncle.
- Let the poem be between 20 and 30 lines; let each line be 10 or more syllables long. Think of the poem as a dream or a psalm you are inventing, and don’t force it. Write in your own speech, allowing its music and sense to speak through you.
No human experience is unique, but each of us has a way of putting language together that is ours alone.
From the November 2001 issue of O, The Oprah Magazine
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