Posted by Loulou on Feb 22, 2015 | 4 comments

Mama is adding something to my blog today that you might enjoy—a short interview with W. S. Merwin, the twice-poet laureate of America and winner of almost any literary prize you can name for his amazing works.  He is also mama and papa’s brother-in-law.

William found a piece of ruined property years ago on Maui and brought it slowly back to life.  It had been a pineapple plantation that had depleted the soil and used chemicals for the fruit and so the land was in a terrible state.

I watched with mama and papa and was so touched by the sweetness of the interview, especially when he talks about poetry.

Mama says we do not have enough poetry in our lives when it is all around us, in the birdsongs outdoors, the rustle of wind in the trees, the moving sands on the beach, the cloud formations that never stop changing, and that if everyone kept a little book of poetry beside his/her bed and read one small poem in the morning, life would be richer for it.

Have you ever written a poem? Mama says to begin with a haiku, the famous Japanese form of seventeen syllables, no more, describing something you have seen or felt or would like to see or feel or just about anything else. I wrote some haikus on a previous blog so you could see what they look like on Poetry, my earlier blog on William and wondrous words.

I have to go and help mama with our Sunday night pizza…that mozzarrella needs…er…chopping.

I DID NOT STEAL THAT LITTLE PIECE OF MOZZARRELLA, MAMA! IT WAS A MOUSE.