Other books that might interest you

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  The Holy Sonnets - Incredible...

  John Donne

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  John Donne was born on the 22nd January 1572 in London, into a Roman Catholic family when Catholicism was illegal in England, and there was turbulence and unrest with both state and church throughout much of Europe.  
   
  His father, also named John, died when he was four, and his mother, Elizabeth Haywood, married a wealthy widower, ensuring the family were looked after.  He received a good education at both Oxford and Cambridge but was unable to obtain a degree without taking the oath of supremacy, which as a Catholic he refused to do.  
   
  During the 1590s, Donne wrote a wide range of verses, including both erotic and sacred poems, creating two major volumes of work.  His strong vivacious and sensual style fusing intellect and passion, as well as inventive use of subtle argument and syntax, provided a new radical perspective that reached beyond his contemporaries, and continued to chime and charm poetry lovers throughout the ages.  
   
  Difficult to believe that with this enormous talent, Donne lived in poverty for many years, exacerbated by his secret marriage to Anne Moore, which meant no dowry, and they having twelve children.  Later he served in Parliament and became Dean of St Paul's in 1621, noted for his learned and charismatic sermons.  
   
  John Donne died in London on the 31st March 1631, but leaves an enormous legacy of many splendid influential poems.  He was known as the founder of the Metaphysical Movement and is widely regarded as one of Britain's best-loved poets.

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  Mother Daughter Augur

  Mary Simmons

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  Mary Simmons’s debut is a world unto itself: a dark storybook realm, lush and full of eerie possibility, a place outside of time where women move in different forms and pass on warnings and wisdom. In the spirit of a Victorian naturalist’s collection, this book brings together found elements from nature, folklore, mythology, ballet, and oral tradition, crafting a strange, kaleidoscopic beauty and complicating inherited definitions of femininity. As these poems blur dichotomies—maiden and witch, mother and daughter, friend and lover—they reach for a new vision of womanhood beyond the bounds of roles and expectations, one that is mystical, ethereal, a little dangerous, and inherently queer. In the process, they tap into deep currents of yearning, grapple with corporeality, raise larger questions about love and what lasts, and find meaning in the uncanny and the macabre. In these pages are insects and omens, wolves and birds and weird apparitions, Odile and Ophelia, even a seventeenth-century professional poisoner. Original, atmospheric, and immersive, this is a work like no other: a tour through an enchanted forest, a darkness that’s illuminating.

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  Growing Panes - A poetic window...

  Tamara Muroiwa

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  Motherhood 
  He lies on his bed 
  I cuddle him 
  My hand is cupped 
  Under his ribcage; 
  I cannot work out 
  Which is his heartbeat 
  And which is mine. 
  This debut collection carries the reader on a journey from childhood to adulthood, covering the joy, pain, introspection and laughter encountered along the way. A must-have compilation of poems for every moment. Not to be missed.

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  A Rhyme A Dozen ― Christmas Eve...

  Thomas Hardy, William...

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  ‘A dime a dozen’ as known in America, is perhaps equal to the English ‘cheap as chips’ but whatever the lingua franca of your choice in this series we hereby submit ‘A Rhyme a Dozen’ as 12 poems on many given subjects that are a well-rounded gathering, maybe even an essential guide, from the knowing pens of classic poets and their beautifully spoken verse to the comfort of your ears. 
  1 - A Rhyme a Dozen - 12 Poets, 12 Poems, 1 Topic. Christmas Eve - An Introduciton 
  2 - Christmas Eve by Christina Rossetti 
  3 - The Oxen by Thomas Hardy 
  4 - A Visit from St Nicholas ('Twas the Night Before Christmas) by Clement Moore 
  5 - Christmas Poem by Robert Herrick 
  6 - Christmas Fancies by Ella Wheeler Wilcox 
  7 - New Prince New Pomp by Robert Southwell 
  8 - Minstrels.  A Christmas Poem by William Wordsworth 
  9 - Old Christmastide (An Extract) by Sir Walter Scott 
  10 - Christmas Carol by Sara Teasdale 
  11 - The Nativity of Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ by Christopher Smart 
  12 - The Meeting by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow 
  13 - The Masque of Christmas by Ben Jonson

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  Gothic Poetry

  Rachel Lawson

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  Gothic Poetry by poet and short story writer Rachel LawsonLost In The Shadows Of The Past 
  I am lost and forgotten as a living being, 
  Lost in the grim dark shadows of death, 
  I live in legend and as a vague memory of life, 
  I am as I was but am nothing but dust and bone, 
  A mere curiosity of a life lived, a requiem. 
  Lost in the shadows of the past, forgotten to time

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  Poems Every Child Should Know

  Joseph Pearce

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  Poetry is meant for everyone. 
  For you. For your child. But where to start? 
  Poems Every Child Should Know is here to help. 
  Selected and accompanied by commentary from bestselling author and literature professor Joseph Pearce, this exciting collection of verse contains classic poems that every child should know to begin a poetic ascent towards God. Not only that, but these poems are chosen so as to help all "become as little children," and are ones everyone should know, regardless of age. These timeless treasures form a foundation upon which to build poetic knowledge and to see the world through the eyes of a poet, the way God intended it. 
  Culled from the rich history of English poetry, these gems of the English language’s inheritance are meant to enrich our children’s cultural treasure chest. Verse, like virtue, is often most beautiful when it is most simple. A good beginning makes a good end all the more likely, so immersing children in beautiful words—words which so powerfully and continually shape our world, our thoughts, our prayers—and teaching them to take a minute and stop to observe a beautiful sentence is of the utmost importance. Appreciating beauty in even the most ordinary of life’s moments is a lesson that will prepare their minds to receive Truth, Beauty, and Goodness Himself. 
  Throughout the book, readers will find “things to think about,” inviting them to engage more deeply with individual poems. These should be seen as an invitation to an adventure into unknown territory, an opportunity to go further up and further in. Be fearless, be adventurous, and enjoy this journey into the realm of the good, the true, and the beautiful of our English language.

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