Friday, May 22, 2015

Bug, Windshield



E. Markham

Two poems today by Edwin Markham, plus a song related to the first poem. Edwin Markham trivia: At the time of his death in 1940, Markham had collected 15,000+ books (some reports say 30,000), which he bequeathed to Wagner College, along with his personal papers. Markham's correspondents included Franklin D. Roosevelt, Ambrose Bierce, Jack London, Carl Sandburg, and Amy Lowell.

Preparedness
by Edwin Markham

For all your days prepare,
And meet them ever alike:
When you are the anvil, bear—
When you are the hammer, strike.

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Everything can change in the blink of an eye
So let the good times roll before we say goodbye
because
Sometimes you're the windshield
Sometimes you're the bug
~Mark Knopfler


***************

Outwitted
by Edwin Markham

He drew a circle that shut me out--
Heretic, a rebel, a thing to flout.
But Love and I had the wit to win:
We drew a circle that took him in!

***************

The Poetry Friday round-up is at Radio, Rhythm & Rhyme.

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7 comments:

  1. jamaMay 22, 2015 at 11:38 AM

    Enjoyed Markham's poems and it was nice hearing MCC -- it had been awhile :).

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  2. Matt Forrest EsenwineMay 22, 2015 at 2:43 PM

    Mary-Chapin had a big hit with that when it came out in the '90's...but I haven't heard it in years! I also identified with Edwin's words! Thanks for sharing.

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  3. RamonaMay 22, 2015 at 9:03 PM

    Outwitted was in a packet of poems we received in 7th grade. It's one I've retained in my memory all these years. Continues to be relevant today!

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  4. Mary LeeMay 23, 2015 at 7:56 AM

    Now I'm thinking of other opposites that could go with anvil/hammer, bug/windshield, exclusion/inclusion...

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  5. Mary LeeMay 23, 2015 at 7:58 AM

    And about those 15,000 books. The problem I gave my students in math this week was to estimate how many books are in my classroom (as we prepare to move them all the the [yay--bigger] room next door).

    My +/-2700 puts that 15000 in perspective!

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  6. KeriMay 23, 2015 at 3:11 PM

    Love that MCC -- the song immediately began playing in my head when I read your header. I'm in the process of trying to cull books from our crowded shelves and we have nowhere near 15K!!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Donna SmithMay 25, 2015 at 7:44 AM

    Loved Markham's poem Preparedness "When you are the anvil, bear—
    When you are the hammer, strike."
    You've got to be flexible and ready - though I really don't enjoy those "anvil" days.

    ReplyDelete