Alpine source
ignites mighty flowing
stream, giving and taking life, ever
evolving, uniting
shared culture.
Heinrich Heine once wrote “und ruhig fliesst die Rhein” - and calmly flows the Rhine. It was in his song about the Loreley, the rock around which the river bends in the picture above. This river is one that flows through Europe and passes so many wonderful examples of our shared European cultural heritage. It has even become part of that rich heritage.
This weekend, we’re celebrating the European Heritage Days. What piece of culture would you like to tell the world about?
If you want to read more poetry celebrating European Heritage, why not buy my ebook Thinking of Europe. It has 27 tritriplicata poems taking you on a journey through Europe.
Poetry Elsewhere
A pulsating rhythm and wonderful play with word sounds, this poem by Lisa Bolin is certainly worth the read:
If you like that, consider subscribing to Lisa’s Northern Notes:
Twitter is also a good place to find great poetry. Like this one from A. Christine Myers:
She also has a wonderful substack newsletter. Get fresh poetry in your inbox weekly:
And let’s close off with another piece of Instapoetry. This one is in Dutch, but it is not only the poem that has poetry in it. The image and the story are very poetic, too. Plus the fact that this Dutch poet writes her poems in chalk on the streets. Some example to follow, right? Her insta-name is Straatgedichtje, which means “little street poem”.
#BTLP Update
Last week, I told you I am working on a #BLTP, a Bigger Than Life Project. I’m still not ready to share what it is really about, but, you can help me. Use the buttons at the bottom to share this newsletter, for example. But more importantly: I am looking for poets, especially (but not exclusively) those who write in English even though it’s not their “mother tongue”. If you know of one (or more), let me know in the comments!
Did you like this? Help others find me. Here are two things you can do to help.
1: If you like this newsletter, why not tell the Substack community about it? Share your love for poetry and empathy with them here:
2: Share this newsletter. With your family, your friends, your coworkers. Whomever. Via Facebook, via email, via Twitter. Whatever you think works best. Thank you!
The poem on top is a tritriplicata, a poetic form I created. If you want to know more about it, click here to find answers to some of the questions you might have.