Having read a plethora of successful poetry this year, the urge struck me to compile a list of poems I thought were especially commendable and deserving of re-re-re-re-re-re-reading. I wasn't a particularly regular visitor to the site at the beginning of the year, and so the ones I've picked tend to gravitate towards the later months; I am sure, despite my efforts to trawl through the archives, there is some fine work that I have not been lucky enough to stumble upon.

Compilations like this are full of the arbitrary; these are my personal favourites – poems which, in a wide-reaching variety of ways, effected me and grew out of the computer screen. There were about 30 poems initially, but I whittled this down to the perfectly-arbitrary number of 13.

Onwards then, and in a perfectly-arbitrary order:

Brian Edwards - Death: The poem is a stark but compassionate look at the mechanics of passing. Its success lies, I feel, in the unifying of the foreign and the familiar; another culture's traditions bring the scene to life, casting a deeply sorrowful, but somehow uplifting, sense of occasion.

http://www.poetrycircle.com/index.php/topic,9684.0.html


Lynn Doiron - The Morality of Housework: This is a visionary example of a powerful imagination. Upon reading I felt my perspective being upturned, and found a transcendental exploration of the seemingly mundane illuminated by language.

http://www.poetrycircle.com/index.php/topic,10056.0.html


Oleksa - Without Music: A great example of dexterity. The poet uses line-breaks and carefully chosen words to create wonderful song and sonority.

http://www.poetrycircle.com/index.php/topic,8960.0.html


Larry Jordan - Impasto with Debris: Absolutely masterful. The barrage of praise already leveled at this poem leaves me with little to add.

http://www.poetrycircle.com/index.php/topic,10022.0.html


EB - this love poem: This poem twists and turns with a lustful naivety, an endearing lack of pretence. It is full of quotable lines, and is a fitting ode to heady, giddy love.

http://www.poetrycircle.com/index.php/topic,6120.0.html


Michael Barrett - Jar One of the most tightly-contained poems I've read, this poem captures tension and potential in a coiled spring. Saying little, it says a lot.

http://www.poetrycircle.com/index.php/topic,9313.0.html


Brian Edwards - Listening to Simon & Garfunkel in the bath when: Eureka! This poem combines touching subject matter with inspired writing; but what makes it most commendable is the way it divided its readers, making them commit to one side or the other.

http://www.poetrycircle.com/index.php/topic,9585.0.html


Jay Dougherty - Before and After the Blast: Visual poetry being a rarity on this particular forum, it seems fitting that by far the best example of it comes from the head honcho himself.

http://www.poetrycircle.com/index.php/topic,8553.0.html


a.e.plastic - A History of Thought: An adroit and irreverent look at history, with playful and charming power.

http://www.poetrycircle.com/index.php/topic,10203.0.html


Desiree Wright - Panning for New Worlds: A glimmering poem, like finding a nugget of gold amongst swathes of thick mud.

http://www.poetrycircle.com/index.php/topic,9934.0.html


Milner Place - Invitation to the Dog: What moved me most about this poem is its Englishness; images which I may never have experienced directly glow with familiarity and warmth.

http://www.poetrycircle.com/index.php/topic,10051.0.html


Tom Riordan - Walrus: I rarely feel emotionally-aligned with sea-based mammals, but in this poem I felt an aching melancholy; I was rather surprised that this didn't get plucked as a pick.

http://www.poetrycircle.com/index.php/topic,9942.0.html


Lavonne Westbrooks - Dear Sam,: A transpositional and imaginative look at the Land of the Free. Compact.

http://www.poetrycircle.com/index.php/topic,8315.0.html

There is reams of good writing I've left out. I would appreciate it if none of you would post anything of any worth before 2009 and, in doing so, ruin my list. It's both enriching and enticing to be surrounded by such a high standard of poetry, not to mention humbling. All that is left to say is Happy New Year, whatever that means.

For what it's worth,

James Howard

I forgot to mention that, if you are willing to share, I would like to hear others' favourites.

I'm honored to be chosen in the list. :)

Good stuff, Lavonne.

Well, what a task you gave yourself there, bravo!

I'm honored to be on a list with such great poems- this really is a brilliant website. The quality of writing and the in-depth feedback are nothing short of inspirational. It's interesting to trace the progress of writers on this site- if you get involved it seems to be a surefire way of improving. It's really a very new phenomenon- thanks to the internet, we can get feedback on a poem from a number of great poets within minutes and I think this is probably the best site out there. Lucky us...

James, your work would definitely feature in my top-13, so here's just one of my favourites from your back catalogue:

James Howard- When Nana Walks Away: This seems to have been criminally overlooked... A truly moving portrait of a woman in the autumn of her life, pulls at the heart-strings in all the right places without ever being soppy. Also, whilst being tightly constructed, it has the flow of a stream of consciousness - a very skillful write.

http://www.poetrycircle.com/index.php/topic,8975.0.html

James!  What a great thread!  And what an honor to find my dust rag folded in there among so many finer poems.  Thank you!  \

Will have to come back with my faves. 

Happy New Year!

Thanks to Mike for bringing the Nana poem to my attention.

Thanks for including me...!

But you're missing out on CEO and Desiree Wright, pretty much anthing these ladies wrote is awesome.

James, a gracious list, but you too have had to omit a choice which should be on every one's list. I have been remiss in making comments, but this is one of the few works that try and stir present topical issues that actually works.


http://www.poetrycircle.com/index.php/topic,10481.0.html

larry

This is no easy thing!  I have barely scratched the surface of my faves on this site and yet I am going to go ahead and post this start, then add on as I come across others every now and again in my wanderings through back pages . . .

Isabella contesta, Desiree Wright -- I love this one for the way it observes.  For the question raised about "dying of" or "wanting to be" noticed.  For the birds on the wire.  For the beauty of walking through yellow in barefeet.  For examing relationships (not the least of which, for me, is with the self) and life.

http://www.poetrycircle.com/index.php/topic,2260.0.html

Got My Tongue, Eric Elshtain -- I love this one for the sound-game it plays through the lines, how it mimics the distress, the frustration, and how, in the end, I'm connected in a very human way. Every choice made by the poet supports the piece.  Masterfully done and combines a lightness and a poignancy difficult, I find, to achieve.

http://www.poetrycircle.com/index.php/topic,1868.0.html



To A Friend Who Has Just Begun to Write, Oleska -- I've picked this one because when I read it I become a person holding a handful of seeds, saying nothing. I can feel the seeds in my palm and they are warm there. And I am quiet, observing the feel of them and letting all of the minutia O observes in this work enter my imagination.  I've picked this one because it about the craft of writing and crafted beautifully.

http://www.poetrycircle.com/index.php/topic,748.0.html


Last Will and Testament, Milner Place -- I would be hard pressed to read any poem of Milner's that isn't among a favorite, but this one is like a door to a life, a door to a heart, a door into what makes a great poet tick.

http://www.poetrycircle.com/index.php/topic,1465.0.html


YAHRZEIT, Tom Riordan -- This poem is one of the most outstanding studies of grief, ongoing grief, and the complexities of dealing with what can't be dealt with, both from the inside and from the outside that I have ever read -- anywhere or at anytime. As a reader, I become a part of this family, and of the neighboring family.

http://www.poetrycircle.com/index.php/topic,9552.0.html

Just wanted to say that I have tried four times to "modify" out the html code that keeps reappearing when I post this - - - and I can't seem to make them go away! errrrgh!  Sorry.

Good to see this has stirred some discussion.

Mike: eloquently put, and massive thanks for plucking Nana out of obscurity.

EB: I think you'll find Desiree sandwiched in the middle there, with her poem 'Panning for New Worlds'. I had others of hers on my first list too. Not familiar with CEO, so will investigate. Thanks.

Larry: very kind of you, and much appreciated.

last but not least, Lynn: An excellent selection there, thank you; I'm sure we can forgive you for the html.

I'm generally not a fan of lists, but on a forum like this they make more sense; it's very easy for work to get lost, and it presents a chance to revisit some great poems. With that in mind, I'm sure a few of you can muster up some more favourites?

Still recovering from NYE,

James

Sorry Lynn, I just noticed that your link for Eric's poem is wrong, and goes to Desiree's as well. (Free publicity?) The one thing that does annoy me about this site is the search engine: typing in 'got my tongue' brings up nothing by Mr Elshtain, nor 'Elshtain tongue, etc.

So if I could have the link that would be much appreciated!

james

I fixed it!  Thanks for catching my error, James.

I have better luck finding things at Poetry Circle when I use the Google search engine.

I just put in a phrase or a name and poetry circle after it. More often than not I find it right at the top of the Google list.

Makes sense Lavonne, thanks for the tip.

James

Thanks for the list, James-- and flattered that I was included! I've been too M.I.A. to come up with a good one for 2008, so I guess I'll rest content with my all-time favorites list-- which is floating around somewhere, I imagine. They're still my favorites!

Take care,

-O