Elizabeth Bishop born February 8th 1911
I am in need of music
I am in need of music that would flow
Over my fretful, feeling fingertips,
Over my bitter-tainted, trembling lips,
With melody, deep, clear, and liquid-slow.
Oh, for the healing swaying, old and low,
Of some song sung to rest the tired dead,
A song to fall like water on my head,
And over quivering limbs, dream flushed to glow!
There is a magic made by melody:
A spell of rest, and quiet breath, and cool
Heart, that sinks through fading colors deep
To the subaqueous stillness of the sea,
And floats forever in a moon-green pool,
Held in the arms of rhythm and of sleep.
Elizabeth Bishop
For more information about Bishop, go to
http://www.poetryfoundation.org/bio/elizabeth-bishop
And don’t forget to check out my post A Formula for Writing Poetry which tries to explain the sestina, the form which brought my attention to this fabulous poet.
Happy Writing everybody!
rawformorelanguage 