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Archive for the ‘Dr. Hood’s Favorite Poetry’ Category
Celebrating poetry
Friday, April 1, 2011
Happy National Poetry Month, everyone! April is a month-long celebration of American poetry, and to kick it off we’re sharing one of Karen Jean Matsko Hood’s lovely poems from Frost of Spring Green. Hood’s widely acclaimed poetry has been published in numerous national and international literary journals and her words bring meaning and power to the simple, ordinary topics. Frost of Spring Green is her first poetry collection published by Whispering Pine Press International. With its beautiful imagery, poignant symbolism, and meticulous crafting, Hood’s poetry will delight readers and bring them to a new appreciation of the world around them.
~
Oaken Planks
Raised grains of sun-bleached oaken planks
lie beneath my calloused feet,
Weary from the days of work.
The prints unfold to read as tea leaves.
Mapped in hardwood below each cracked sole.
Full of pain with every new step
The mighty oak tree weaves a tale,
Seeing eyes of time recorded.
A hundred years of mighty pride,
Producing acorn’s providence
For generations of squirrels
Eager to devour each tender morsel.
Golden leaves spread to the ground
Swirling down to parched souls,
Waiting for the winter frost
To dance across the oaken casts’ thorny thistles.
© Karen Jean Matsko Hood 2011
~
Join in the celebration of great American poets like Karen Jean Matsko Hood this month: attend a poetry reading at your local bookstore or library, take a poetry class at the community college, or set yourself the goal of reading one poem a day during April. No matter how you choose to commemorate this special time of year, remember to take a few moments to slow down in your hectic life and notice the small, wondrous details of the world around you. Poetry is everywhere, even in seemingly insignificant things.
Order Frost of Spring Green today as part of your celebration of National Poetry Month!
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Morning Reflections: Prayers for Everyday Life
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Morning Reflections by Karen Jean Matsko Hood is the first book in the Inspirational Reflections Series by Whispering Pine Press International. I have had this book for several weeks now, and have thoroughly enjoyed waking up to its peaceful and uplifting devotionals. Each page features a Bible verse followed by one of Hood’s original poems, with a brief but insightful prayer completing the day’s reading. The devotionals are centered around themes that are reflected in verse, poem, and prayer alike, and this allows the reader to really concentrate on the message and internalize it. The poetry is simple yet poignant, a powerful and often elegant contemplation of various facets of the Christian walk. Thankfulness, praise, the filling of the Holy Spirit, the struggle to live righteously in a difficult world–all these topics and many more are meditated upon in Morning Reflections. I have found that my mornings tend to start much more smoothly when I set aside the time to quietly reflect on God, and Karen Hood‘s gentle, thoughtful words make it easy and enjoyable to do just that.
In the back of the book are three separate indexes that are helpful for finding a particular devotional quickly and easily: Index by First Line, Index by Bible Verse, and an Alphabetical Index. I really appreciated having these indexes handy to help me navigate the book to find my favorite poems and prayers again.
Morning Reflections also offers several other extra touches that I thought were particularly nice. There are several blank pages at the beginning of the book to provide space to write out my own thoughts on the reflection of the day, and there is a another page where you can fill in a personal message if you want to give Morning Reflections as a gift. There is a Reader Feedback form that can be mailed to Whispering Pine Press, something I have never seen before in a book and really appreciated because it shows that the publishers are truly interested in treating their readers right.
Order your copy of Morning Reflections today!
Frost of Spring Green Provides Insight and Beauty
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Karen Hood’s first collection of poetry, Frost of Spring Green, is a masterful collection of poems in a wide range of topics that will delight serious readers of poetry and those new to the genre alike. The poems deal with a wide range of topics including nature, everyday life, social and environmental issues, and the deepest, most profound emotions experienced by all of us.
Hood’s poetry is clear and confident, elegant in its simplicity. She is adept at crafting layers of meaning and impact that work on the heart over time, providing powerful insight into the wonders of the natural world and the human condition. At first glance, her poems appear straightforward and can be easily read and grasped by those inexperienced in the nuances of poetry. A deeper reading, however, will prove that there is much for a more experienced reader to discover beneath the surface.
Frost of Spring Green‘s imagery is powerfully visual, painting vivid pictures that are poignant and breathtaking whether the subject is a beautiful flower or mountain vista, or the cardboard box an orphaned, homeless child has used to construct a home for herself. Hood’s metaphors are equally strong, and with them she is able to bring the reader to a deeper understanding of her themes. Her knowledge of the craft is excellent, and she demonstrates an innate skill with rhyme and meter that enhances the impact of her poetry–although she also knows when to withhold them. Alliteration is used to create greater emphasis on particular phrases that will linger hauntingly long after the book has been set aside. One of Hood’s favorite devices is the use of stark contrasts, comparing and sometimes even equating opposites in such powerful ways that the poem creates a lasting effect on the reader. Personally, I have never encountered a poet who crafts more potent contrasts than Karen Hood.
Frost of Spring Green is a compelling read for anyone who enjoys poetry. It provides the opportunity to slow down and consider the world we live in, in all its beauty and heartbreak–a rare thing in this hectic modern lifestyle. I will close my review with one of my favorite poems from this collection, one that demonstrates the depth and power in Karen Hood’s writing.
~
Night Whistle
Do you remember that
Hot August night?
Iowa humidity so dense
You could backstroke in the breeze.
Mom and Dad, we came home with
You, back to our tiny apartment.
The brassy train whistle
Pierced our silence.
One quiet night with you, now
Dead within my body.
My beautiful dark-haired
First baby boy, still.
The last long night
I shared together with you.
Karen Jean Matsko Hood ©2010
~
Order your copy of Frost of Spring Green today!
Frost of Spring Green ©2010 & 2011
Frost of Spring Green ©2004 & 2005
Frost of Spring Green
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
My wife’s first poetry book, Frost of Spring Green, is currently being prepared to go to press after I edited it. I am sharing one of the poems here for your enjoyment.
Frost of Spring Green
Frost covers the pines
with eloquent gossamer frosting,
crystalline ambience.
Yet, with this quick-freeze delicate
comes the icy anguish of
beggars on the street
and homeless people,
youth discarded, absent mothers,
fleeing fathers unable to face the
reality of the day.
Foster systems overcrowded,
home-finders stressed and calling.
Around town, snowflakes flutter to
ask if anyone has an extra bed.
Flurries blast and crystals
form to capture prisms.
Jeweled tones reflect the
new waves of
pristine snow,
hiding the weeds upright
from showing their non-white souls.
Blankets of frozen, whitewashed cotton
hide the frenzied blackness of the city’s
spirit, as the meth kitchens cook
their soup. Frenzied druggies
make their buzz, while
tear-filled babies’ eyes cry with
total wonder, and the crank
junkies stew more highs.
Snowflakes float again
as a lactescent blanket,
an unnoticed patchwork of
stumbling stories,
abandoned adolescents,
and pillowless street people,
calico children with no beds.
Butterflies heed the warning
of the green grass of spring.
Karen Jean Matsko Hood ©2010
I urge everyone to support their local bookstores. Please ask your local store to carry my book, or you may order it online from Whispering Pine Press International, Inc. Bookstore or from Karen’s Bookstore.
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Hello June 2,
The following poem from Karen Jean Matsko Hood’s Frost of Spring Green, p. 24, represents this season well.
June Visitors
I watch tiny orbs
as floral buds swell.
First pea-sized marbles sprout
then expand to walnut sizing.
All the while the worker ants
snake on ballooning spheres.
Cycling networks of delight
Feast on sticky treats.
Sweet feed for their families
drip down succulent rounds of green.
Buds burst in the moment.
Petals show off pink satin that unfurls.
Fragrance intoxicates,
beauty musically exquisite.
Voracious visitors expose magnificence,
peony ecstasy.
Armies of ants return home
to feed their families
and defend their farm while
singing birds prime summer.
June visitors.
Karen Jean Matsko Hood ©2010
Dr. James G. Hood
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