Hello out there, how are you doing? I very much hope you can keep your spirits up and that you are safe. Please know, you are all in my thoughts and prayers daily. I care for people, but as I can’t do anything practical at the moment, this is the closest I feel I can do to make a difference. Hopefully, it gives you some hope and the feeling of being appreciated.
This candle is dedicated to all those who have passed because of COVID-19 and for the families, they leave behind.
I am so so sorry for your loss!
And now to something related but different:
And a HUGE “Thank You” to all keyworkers from nurses over cleaners to bus drivers out there who risk their lives daily to keep ours going!
I don’t know about you, but for me, the enormity of this virus’s impact is slowly sinking in. Every morning I wake up and think and feel: Oh my, so so much sorrow and pain!” and I want to cry. At the same timeendeavors I am amazed how many wonderful people are out there and how many creative endeavours are brought to life to get us through. But I just can’t shake this feeling of grief. I don’t think I should either. I suspect this is part of the process of going through something traumatic and big like this.
But that doesn’t mean I put the duvet over my head and hide. I keep going with what I can. Every day I can use my arm a little more. I can read and blog and am grateful for my family, friends, food and the roof over our head. And I think expressing my feelings here is an excellent way to work my way through. It feels hard though, to stay positive and motivated and hopeful. But maybe that is why I blog: To give myself a structure for looking for something good and positive.
Many of us have a little more time to read. That is why I thought I re-publish a post from 2012 about a wonderful poetry book I read:
This entry was first posted in January 2012:
The Best British Poetry 2011
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Well this is a first: I have never reviewed a poetry book and will have to find my way into it.
The Best British Poetry 2011 is a “subjective” compilation of actual British poetry as the editor Roddy Lumsden writes in the introduction. The poetry is mainly taken from magazines like “Poetry London“, “Poetry Review” and “Edinburgh Review“. Some of the poets have been published before some have not.
Even with knowing about the subjectiveness of the book I have been disappointed. There was no poem that stuck in my head or inspired me in any way. There are good poems in there I am sure but I guess I am a terrible old-fashioned poetry reader and have trouble with poems that do not make obvious sense. I prefer poems that tell a story or show a picture. This might have to do with the fact though that English is not my mother tongue and I might not instantly understand all the underlying meanings of images and expressions used.
I am still glad to have read it as it shows the wide variety of today’s poets in Britain. There are poets from British as well as foreign backgrounds who have a different view on life and express it in different ways. There are poets who write only in English as well as those who use dialect as well as foreign expressions. The creativity is evident even though it does not resonate with me.
Ian Duhig‘s Jericho Shandy is one example.
What I like about the book is that there is an appendix with information about each author as well as about the poems.
It is definitely worth reading!
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This is the German translation of the review:
Dieser Beitrag wurde zum erstenmal im Januar 2012 veroeffentlicht:
Tja dies ist meine erste Besprechung eines Gedichtbandes und ich muss mich hier erst einfinden.
The Best British Poetry 2011 ist eine “subjektive” Sammlung von aktueller britischer Lyrik wie der Editor Roddy Lumsden in seiner Einleitung schreibt. Die Gedichte wurden zumeist von Magazinen wie “Poetry London”, “Poetry Review” und “Edinburgh Review”. Einige der Dichter wurden bereits veroeffentlicht manche noch nicht.
Obowohl ich ueber die Subjektivitaet des Bandes wusste, war ich enttaeuscht. Da gab es kein Gedicht, das mir sofort im Gedaechtnis geblieben ist oder mich inspiriert hat. Es gibt darin gute Gedichte, da bin ich mir sicher aber ich denke, ich bin eine hoffnungslos altmodische Gedichteleserin und komme nicht wirklich mit Gedichten klar, die nicht gleich Sinn machen. Ich bevorzuge Gedichte, die eine Geschichte erzaehlen oder ein Bild malen. Das mag aber damit zu tun haben, dass Englisch nicht meine Muttersprache ist, und sich mir viele der genutzten Bilder und Ausdruecke nicht gleich erschliessen.
Trotzdem bin ich froh, den Band gelesen zu haben, weil er die riesige Vielfalt heutiger britischer Lyrik aufzeigt. Da gibt es Gedichte von britisch geborenen Dichtern wie auch von Einwanderern, die jeweils eine andere Sicht des Lebens haben und dies auch in unterschiedlichen Weisen ausdruecken. Da gibt es Dichter, die nur in Englisch schreiben aber auch solche, die Dialekte wie Welsch oder auslaendische Ausdruecke nutzen. Die Kreativitaet wird sehr deutlich obwohl sie mir nicht sehr nahe ist.
Ian Duhig’s Jericho Shandy ist ein Beispiel davon:
Was ich am Buch wirklich mag ist der Anhang, der eine kurze Information zum Dichter und dem Gedicht gibt.
Es ist es wirklich wert, gelesen zu werden!
And last but not least let’s look at something positive and funny:
Some people seem to think that posts with not so much unique content are not worth reading. But I need these positive video’s to keep my mood and my hope up and I feel I need to share it with you too. Only together we can get through this.
Many of us are stuck inside and probably feel like getting out and rampage a supermarket for sweets. But let’s be reminded what the results of such actions are 🙂
That is it for today. I wish you a creative Thursday to you all despite everything!
Just one more thing before you go: The hospital that is treating me is fundraising for a dedicated breast cancer unit which would allow same-day diagnosis and better premises for patients and staff.
Please, if you can spare a little money hop over to their Just Giving Page and give as little or much as you can. Or share the page on your social media. Your support means a lot to me! Thank you very much.
Thanks my dears, for staying with me until the end. I appreciate your presence. Please stay safe, stay kind and remember that you rock!
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