Sonnets by Michelangelo

This solace to my soul is sweet,
That my black night doth make more clear the sun
Which at your birth was given to wait on you.
~Michelangelo


Philosopher by Michelangelo, c 1495-1500, pen and brown ink
Did you know that Michelangelo wrote sonnets? He wrote hundreds -- about love, art, death, his heroes, his patrons. Here are some examples from the 1904 edition of John Addington Symonds' translations of Michelangelo's sonnets:

The Artist and His Work


Light and Darkness


The Model and the Statue


On Dante Alighieri

Ed at Think Kid Think has the Poetry Friday round-up this week.

Want to be part of the 2013 Summer Poem Swap? Email me or leave a comment with your email address.


San Petronio by Michelangelo, Basilica of Saint Dominic, Italy,
photo by Georges Jansoone

At the Desk

Mad Hatter: “Why is a raven like a writing-desk?”
“No, I give it up,” Alice replied: “What’s the answer?”
“I haven’t the slightest idea,” said the Hatter.
―Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland

My idea of a perfect room is a study/library with a rolltop desk and large windows that lead out into a garden. Lots of desks today...is there a desk in any of your perfect rooms?

Interieur mit Dame am Schreibtisch vor geöffnetem Kabinettschrank
by Paul Barthel (1862–1933)

Portrait of writer Vsevolod Mikhailovich Garshin
by Ilya Repin

Alexandre Dumas in his Library, The Three Musketeers

Study at a Reading Desk‎
by Frederic Leighton, 1877

Desk in the library at Zutphen, 1894

Still-Life with Books
by an unknown Dutch Master, c. 1628

Jean Miélot at his desk, 15th century
by an unknown miniaturist

Frau am Schreibtisch
by Lesser Ury (1861–1931)

Plain to See

I believe there's good
In everybody's heart
Keep it safe and sound
~Penny

With most duets, both singers are basically on the same page (e.g. No Air, Baby Come to Me, Ain't No Mountain High Enough), but for this Music Monday, we've got a decidedly different sort of duet: "My Eyes" from Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog.

To bring you up to speed...

Dr. Horrible, a villain wannabe, is in love with kind-hearted Penny. He's been trying to get the nerve to talk to Penny for ages. Just when Dr. Horrible finally makes contact with her, his nemesis -- superhero Captain Hammer -- also winds up being introduced to Penny.

Captain Hammer is actually completely self-centered, but Penny doesn't realize it and thinks he's a good guy. When Penny and Captain Hammer start dating, Dr. Horrible doesn't take it well. Cue "My Eyes":


Can you think of other duets where the singers are feeling so differently? Would love to hear your examples!

2013 Summer Poem Swap

by Elena
Interested in joining a Summer Poem Swap? The idea is that every two weeks beginning June 24 through August 19, you will mail someone a freshly-written poem and you will receive one.

Your assignment, should you decide to accept it, is to write five poems during that time period and share each poem with one person in a tangible format. I will be randomly matching poem swappers up. (You won't be sending all your poems to the same person.)

Everyone finds themselves in difficult situations sometimes. If you find yourself unable to write a poem during a two-week period, you are welcome to send an older poem of yours or to send a poem written by someone else. Also, if you are in a crunch and need help, you can contact me and I will sub for you. This is friendly and fun. No stress!

Interested? Email me! tabatha(at)tabathayeatts(dot)com. The deadline for joining will be June 1st.

***********


Hafiz, aka Hafez
Today's poem:

Dropping Keys
by Hafiz

the small man
builds cages for everyone
he
knows.
While the sage,
who has to duck his head
when the moon is low,
keeps dropping keys all night long
for the
beautiful
rowdy
prisoners.

***********

Booktalking is the Poetry Friday host this week.

Looking Carefully

There is an optical illusion about every person we meet.
~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Fist on Black
by Jason Mrachina

See Your History
by Christiaan Triebert

And now, how we will go down from here? / Y ahora, ¿cómo bajaremos de aquí?
by Santi MB

Grasping the Sunlight
by Rishi Bandopadhay

Fork Illusion
Full profile of a fork? The tines of the fork are actually pointing out towards the viewer.
by Sean Rogers

Escaping Criticism
by Pere Borrell del Caso, 1874

Projection of a Lamp
by Helmuth Kraus M.

Tree in the Middle of the Road
by Merlin

Links:

NIH Kids Illusion Pages
What is an illusion?
Illusions.org
Make Your Own Optical Illusions
Neuroscience for Kids: Vision

National Public Gardens Day

Friday May 10, 2013 is National Public Gardens Day, a day to pay tribute to public gardens and their important role in educating the public on environmental preservation.

Many of the nation’s public gardens will mark the day with special events and activities for schools, families, and visitors to explore and discover their local public garden. The activities will continue throughout Mother’s Day Weekend. The organizers are also having a photo contest.

Visit National Public Gardens Day for more information.

Metaphors Be With You

You are my sunshine,
my only sunshine
~Oliver Hood

Thinking about songs with similes, metaphors, and other figurative language this week! But first, a thought for the day:


Baby, you're a song. You're my kryptonite, you're a cat. 5, and you rock me like the rock of ages. Welcome to the jungle!

Not sure how to divide this up, so I just put them in alphabetical order (of performer, not songwriter) and added spaces for readability. Do you have any favorites or other suggestions? I know, more songs have them than don't, so maybe I should have made a list of songs with no figurative language. Thanks go to Pop and Latanya for their additions!

Before we get to the list, here's a song with a metaphorical train. This version by the late Eva Cassidy knocks my socks off:


Set Fire to the Rain, Adele
While My Guitar Gently Weeps, Beatles
Love is a Battlefield, Pat Benatar
Heart of Glass, Blondie
The Dance, Garth Brooks

People Get Ready, Eva Cassidy
The Scientist, Josie Charlwood (cover of Coldplay song)
Tearing Us Apart, Eric Clapton with Tina Turner
I Fall to Pieces, Patsy Cline
Life Is a Highway, Tom Cochrane

Butterfly, Crazy Town
Every Day is a Winding Road, Sheryl Crow
Cowboy Take Me Away, The Dixie Chicks
She Blinded Me with Science, Thomas Dolby
A Hard Rain's a Gonna Fall, Bob Dylan

Born to Fly, Sara Evans
I'm Like a Bird, Nelly Furtado
The Chain, Fleetwood Mac
Cruise, Florida Georgia Line
Earth Angel, The Four Quarters (originally by The Penguins)

Shadowfeet, Brooke Fraser
Killing Me Softly, The Fugees (originally performed by Roberta Flack)
In Your Eyes, Peter Gabriel
Welcome to the Jungle, Guns N Roses
Stereo Hearts, Gym Class Heroes featuring Adam Levine

Storm Warning, Hunter Hayes
The Wind Cries Mary, Jimi Hendrix
Piece of My Heart, Janis Joplin
Walking on Broken Glass, Annie Lennox
Can't Hold Us, Macklemore & Lewis

Get Up, Stand Up, Bob Marley
Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me, George Michael
The Remedy, Jason Mraz
Let It Rain, David Niall
Leather and Lace, Stevie Nicks and Don Henley

One Thing by One Direction
Loves Me like a Rock, The O'Jays (originally Paul Simon)
Firework, Katy Perry
Under the Falling Sky, Bonnie Raitt
Diamonds, Rihanna

Love Is The Drug, Roxy Music
I Hope You Dance, Lee Womack
One is the Magic Number, Jill Scott (also Golden and Hate on Me)
Key to the Highway, Big Bill Broonzy
Like a Rock, Bob Seeger

A Team, Ed Sheeran
Thunder Road, Bruce Springsteen
Reeling in the Years, Steely Dan
Stuck Like Glue, Sugarland
Our Song, Taylor Swift

Say Hello to Heaven, Temple of the Dog
Mirrors, Justin Timberlake
Ain't No Sunshine When She's Gone, Bill Withers
Heart of Gold, Neil Young
Colder Weather, The Zac Brown Band

Stairway to Heaven: Examining Metaphor in Popular Music (lesson plan)
Using Similes and Metaphors to Enrich Our Writing