Walking among the dead
Issue #94 of your inbox poetry magazine
I'm not sure
what I am looking for
wandering among graves of poets.
Inspiration? Paying
tribute? Or ...?
Earlier this week I visited what might very well be the most famous cemetery in the world: the Père-Lachaise cemetery in Paris. It is the final resting place of so many cultural icons, including poets, that the image of them attending Parisian salons together (yes, Gertrude Stein is also there) might be what some picture heaven to be like.
But, they are not there. Just their graves. And I’m not one for worshipping a slab of stone. Nor am I too star-struck. So what am I doing there? I don’t really know, but the place has a draw. And I did find inspiration. In the tranquillity of the place and in imagining the stories of the people in those graves.
What story would you like people to remember you by when you’re no longer here?
The photo above was taken at the Père-Lachaise cemetery earlier this week.
Something to listen to
There are so many different voices around the world that express themselves with poetry. And in so many languages. When I sent my creation the tritriplicata out into the world, I did not imagine somebody writing in French. Yet, it happened. By Sylph. And apart from that, she writes wonderful poems in different forms. I spoke with her for the first season of my podcast. Listen here:
We also have the June playlist for you. Another eclectic one. Enjoy here:
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Poetry elsewhere
Some poems are not just inviting you to visit a certain place, they are also telling the story of a loved one that is no longer here. Magical Marvin’s Mechanical Museum by Danielle Shorr is such a poem.
Change is inevitable. It is part of the road of life that you are on. Change of scenery, itinerary, goal. Life is a process that will lead you where you are meant to be. Either by chance, by predetermination or by the free choices you make. Trusting that process is what this beautiful poem by Marylin, Trust the Process is about.
I love poetry when it’s small and personal. It’s an amazing gift. Not only to receive one but also to be able to write them. Alex Price wrote this gem for his daughter: The Robin’s Birthday. Happy birthday, Robin.