Friday, February 11, 2011

Sleep Safe Till Tomorrow

Seven Sisters in Nebula Fields by Erin Vaganos

Peace on Earth
by William Carlos Williams

The Archer is wake!
The Swan is flying!
Gold against blue
An Arrow is lying.
There is hunting in heaven—
Sleep safe till tomorrow.

The Bears are abroad!
The Eagle is screaming!
Gold against blue
Their eyes are gleaming!
Sleep!
Sleep safe till tomorrow.

The Sisters lie
With their arms intertwining;
Gold against blue
Their hair is shining!
The Serpent writhes!
Orion is listening!
Gold against blue
His sword is glistening!
Sleep!
There is hunting in heaven—
Sleep safe till tomorrow.

Hunter in the Snow by Erin Vaganos

Remember Poem in Your Pocket Day? It's April 14th this year, and here's the Poem in Your Pocket version of Peace on Earth.

Carol from Reading is Fundamental is our Poetry Friday host today.

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9 comments:

  1. david elzeyFebruary 11, 2011 at 9:28 AM

    the funny thing is, i can't imagine sleeping at all, much less safe, with all the racket going on in the heavens! if i were an illustrator i would totally want to play off that image of the constellations keeping some child from sleeping.

    thanks for this. i really need to read more wcw.

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  2. Irene LathamFebruary 11, 2011 at 9:31 AM

    Oh my gracious, this ART is really engaging! LOVE! And the WCW poem makes me want to memorize it real-quick. What a great read-aloud poem. Thanks for sharing.

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  3. jamaFebruary 11, 2011 at 10:24 AM

    What gorgeous art and a wonderful poem (which I hadn't seen before). Thanks, Tabatha :)!

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  4. E.V.February 11, 2011 at 10:41 AM

    I love William Carlos Williams, but I've never read that poem before...I love it! Thanks so much for including my art!

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  5. Madigan MirzaFebruary 11, 2011 at 10:51 AM

    Yes, this is the most "wakeful" imagery I can think of for a poem about sleeping.
    I love that Poem in Your Pocket - really neat. Thanks for sharing!

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  6. TaraFebruary 11, 2011 at 12:07 PM

    Oh, I love the cadence of this! The artwork is sublime...thanks, Tabatha!

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  7. M PaxFebruary 11, 2011 at 1:13 PM

    I love the art. Combines many of my passions.

    The poem is great, too. I feel sleepy, so the idea of sleep is extremely appealing.

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  8. Heidi MordhorstFebruary 13, 2011 at 5:53 AM

    Hi, Tabatha--

    Thanks for visiting even though somehow I failed twice to get my listing recorded at Rasco from RIF.

    This is fantastic, and apropos of my musings re exclamation points. I hear what folks are saying about the racket, but the other way to look at it is by retitling it "Why We Dream." Just when you think you know a poet...and where did you find Erin's lovely work?

    I'm rereading and enjoying the repetition of "Gold against blue"--can't you imagine this as a choral work?

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  9. CarlieFebruary 13, 2011 at 9:13 AM

    Oh so pretty! I love Orion and The Seven Sisters so it is very fun to see them show up in this lovely piece.

    That last art work is particularly grabbing.

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