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Wednesday, January 7, 2026

Brief impressions of great poets

 

For decades, I devoured poetry! Traditional poems, contemporary poems, free verse, haiku, or indiscernible forms didn’t matter. I was so hungry to write delectable poems, I gorged myself on those I admired.


When my vision declined, however, I had to reduce my poetry diet to very large print books, so my formerly over-stacked shelves of poetry have now dwindled to three. 


Since I no longer have books by all of the poets who came to mind, my recollections might not match your impressions. With mere memories of my favorites to go by, I’ll keep these briefs brief by confining my thoughts to the syllabic count of haiku:

 

Billy Collins Reads the Dictionary

which syncs with his high
cerebral forehead and his
cover of quick wit.

Mary Oliver Memorialized Earth

by looking closely
and finding beauty in un-
expected places.

Charles Wright Seeks Spirituality

though viewing afar,
declining to embrace it
with free abandon.

Jory Graham’s Exquisite Poems

use gorgeous language –
often indecipherable
to avid readers.

Carl Sandburg Spoke Plainly

of Chicago life
for us to experience
even in the fog.

Richard Wright Wrote Haiku

observing little
moments in everyday life.
We identify!

Wallace Stevens Titles

act as an entry
into his poems, giving us
a clue to meaning.

The Book of Psalms

shows faith in action.
In hard circumstances, praise
stands as sacrifice.

Have you written a poem about your favorite poet? If so, you’re welcome to post it in the comments section below.

 

Mary Harwell Sayler
a lover of God and poetry




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