My Favorite Poem of All Time (Click above to hear it read by Amy)
Amy Barlow Liberatore/Sharp Little Pencil
For Imaginary Garden With Real Toads
Masses
By Carl Sandburg (1878–1967)
from his Chicago Poems, 1916
AMONG the mountains I wandered and saw blue haze and red crag and was amazed;
On the beach where the long push under the endless tide maneuvers, I stood silent;
Under the stars on the prairie watching the Dipper slant over the horizon’s grass, I was full of thoughts.
Great men, pageants of war and labor, soldiers and workers, mothers lifting their children—these all I touched, and felt the solemn thrill of them.
And then one day I got a true look at the Poor, millions of the Poor, patient and toiling; more patient than crags, tides, and stars; innumerable, patient as the darkness of night—and all broken, humble ruins of nations.
Lisa A.Williams
I love Carl Sandburg, this is one of my favorites.
Kerry O'Connor
Wow! This is amazing, Amy. The words alone are magnificent but your reading of them, with such emotion and understanding brings such a compassionate dimension. And the mark of true poetry is the timelessness that such a piece has – so relevant for here and now.
Thank you so much for sharing.
pandamoniumcat
Beautiful poem, beautiful reading. Words of truth and compassion never go out of vogue!
Mary
Nicely done, Amy.
Patricia A. McGoldrick
So glad you shared this one, Amy! Sandburg wrote about Chicago 1916; I wonder what he would write today, almost 100 years later. 🙂
1emeraldcity
Lovely reading of a favorite…Thank you for this!
brian miller
thanks for linking it in at dVerse as well
sandburg is def a fav…found a very old copy of chicago poems at a bookstore several years ago for a quarter….was pretty amazing…there was also a special done on him last year which i really enjoyed watching…
Jenny Herner (@jennyherner)
Love this! Thanks for sharing it!
Roger Green
Finally got to listen to this. Quite good!
Pamela
Wonderful reading, Amelita. You have a lovely voice.
Saludo,
Pamelita
Steve King
Excellent reading, Amy. Whatever he chose to write seemed to be the definitive statement of the subject. He’s always moving and instructive. I visited his home near Asheville, NC. It was filled with the spirit of him. A great experience.
Julie Laing
I didn’t know this piece, but I can see why it’s a favorite! I love the bit about “more patient than crags, tides, and stars.” Thanks for sharing this!