Figurative Tuesday Ciera Edwards

One silver lining during COVID-19 is that nature is having its own moment. Pollution is down, water is cleaner, and I’ve loved hearing the birds in my city sing louder than ever before. When I get out for my daily walks I tend to find myself in the Presidio and recording the sounds of birds. Nature is rejuvenating for the soul, and I hope this poem does something for you as well. We read Mary Oliver's "Spring" which exalts an animal in nature that's often cast as the evil character—the snake. It's a poem about resurrection and the faith that's required for spring. Thank you to Poetry Foundation for sharing this poem on their website. 

Twitter: @deakhaus @figurativetues

Instagram: @deakhaus

Humans are creative and resilient. This pandemic, COVID-19, will pass but right now it’s about taking the proactive and precautionary steps to protect your health and the health of the most vulnerable. We read Maya Angelou’s inspiring “Still I Rise” to celebrate the strength of overcoming hardship and oppression. For white people, rich people, and those in positions of power, let’s take this moment to remind ourselves of how we can help the greater good. Thank you to Poetry Foundation for sharing this poem (www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/46446/Still-I-Rise) Check my Twitter @deakhaus for evidence-based articles on COVID-19 and how we can help flatten the curve. Stay well!

Insomnia can be a good time to ask yourself, "What do I need to think more deeply about? Who do I need to remember?" In this episode, we read a section from the elegiac poem,  "My God, It's Full of Stars" by Pulitzer Prize-winner, Tracy K. Smith. 

Thank you to Tracy K. Smith and Greywolf Press for publishing the entire book of poems, "Life on Mars," where the entire poem "My God, It's Full of Stars" was originally published: https://www.graywolfpress.org/books/life-mars

Thank you to Poetry Foundation for making the full poem available on its website: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/55519/my-god-its-full-of-stars

To get in touch with Figurative Tuesday, reach out to the host, Christine Deakers:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/deakhaus   

Instagram: http://instagram.com/deakhaus 

Figurative Tuesday: https://twitter.com/figurativetues 

Rate and review the podcast, and share what poems you’d like to hear on the show. This show was produced via Anchor. The podcast was recorded in San Francisco, located on Ohlone land. 

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This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

"This poem helps you see the world for its possibilities vs. its pre-made packaging," says Christine Deakers, close reader and host of Figurative Tuesday, the poetry podcast that aims to energize as much as comfort. On this episode, we read e.e. cumming's "The Cambridge Ladies live in furnished songs." 

Thank you to Poetry Foundation for making the full poem available on its website. E.e. cumming's "The Cambridge Ladies": https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/47245/the-cambridge-ladies-who-live-in-furnished-souls

 To get in touch with Figurative Tuesday, reach out to the host, Christine Deakers: 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/deakhaus

Instagram: http://instagram.com/deakhaus

Figurative Tuesday: https://twitter.com/figurativetues

Rate and review the podcast, and share what poems you’d like to hear on the show. This show was produced via Anchor, and all poetry was available through public domain. The podcast was recorded in San Francisco, located on Ohlone land.

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This episode is sponsored by

· Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast.

https://anchor.fm/app

“A poem can extract us from the mundanities of life and open us to the magic of nature,” says Christine Deakers, reader and host of Figurative Tuesday, the poetry podcast that aims to energize as much as comfort. In this episode, we read Walt Whitman’s Song of Myself, Verse 52. (https://poets.org/poem/song-myself-52). You can read more poems like this in Walt Whitman’s book of verse, Leaves Of Grass. To get in touch with Figurative Tuesday, reach out to the host, Christine Deakers (@deakhaus) on Instagram or Twitter. Share what you think of the podcast and what poems you’d like to hear on the show. (https://www.twitter.com/deakhaus) This show was produced via Anchor, and all poetry was available through public domain. The podcast was recorded in San Francisco on Ohlone land.