Author: v. anastasi

I am a lover of words - the way they sing together in neat or sprawling lines upon the page, conducted by the great wordsmiths of all time. The way a sudden turn of phrase or surprising combination of sounds resonates with the deep within me, causing pause: moments of reflection and appreciation that transcend the superficial babblings and paltry visions of the infantile. Here at the deepening ground, it is my intent to make time and space for the reflection, appreciation, and creative imaginings that sustain the human soul.

Wood: Wisdom from My Eldest Son #Poem #Poetry #Wood #Identity #Son #Wisdom #Nature

20 Mar 2023

Back in 2015, I taught a one-week summer poetry workshop. For one of their assignments, I challenged my students to compare themselves to one of the core elements or something from nature. My poem, “Elementary Matters”, based on this concept, can be found by clicking on the poem title. The poem below comes from the … More Wood: Wisdom from My Eldest Son #Poem #Poetry #Wood #Identity #Son #Wisdom #Nature

Photo of the Day Poems: Three Irish Setters #Poem #Poetry #Irish #Dogs #Setters

14 Mar 2023

In honor of Saint Patrick’s Day this Friday, here’s an unpublished photo poem from my collection of works inspired by images from The Guardian’s Photo of the Day posts that I wrote back in 2019. Though these Irish setters aren’t fooling around on what was the first day of the Crufts dog show, I found … More Photo of the Day Poems: Three Irish Setters #Poem #Poetry #Irish #Dogs #Setters

Morning: Mary Oliver’s Antidote for Tax Season #Poem #Poetry #Morning #Taxes #World #Soul #MaryOliver

6 Mar 2023

Between getting the budget lined up for March, paying my regular bills, and working on filing my taxes, I somehow lost the weekend and suffocated my soul. All I wanted to do last night was crawl into bed and just go to sleep, but I took the time to drink from Mary Oliver’s poetry. There’s … More Morning: Mary Oliver’s Antidote for Tax Season #Poem #Poetry #Morning #Taxes #World #Soul #MaryOliver

Meditations on Modernity: Part 4 #Poetry #Poem #Modern #Day #Life #Community #Present #Mystery

24 Feb 2023

“It is no more possible to live in the future than it is to live in the past. If life is not now, it is never.” Wendell Berry, The Long-Legged House Meditations on Modernity By Vincent H. Anastasi 2023 IV. The Life Let this be the day well done: not the timely completion of all … More Meditations on Modernity: Part 4 #Poetry #Poem #Modern #Day #Life #Community #Present #Mystery

Meditations on Modernity: Part 3 #Poetry #Poem #Modern #Swans #Life #Local #Pub #Medicine

23 Feb 2023

“If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world.” J. R. R. Tolkien, The Hobbit Meditations on Modernity By Vincent H. Anastasi 2023 III. The Medicine If I could take the creek to work, I would – hitch a ride with the swans who swam … More Meditations on Modernity: Part 3 #Poetry #Poem #Modern #Swans #Life #Local #Pub #Medicine

Meditations on Modernity: Part 2 #Poetry #Poem #Modern #AI #Mechanization #VR #Life

22 Feb 2023

“But in Huxley’s vision, no Big Brother is required to deprive people of their autonomy, maturity and history. As he saw it, people will come to love their oppression, to adore the technologies that undo their capacities to think.” Neil Postman, Amusing Ourselves to Death Meditations on Modernity By Vincent H. Anastasi 2023 II. The … More Meditations on Modernity: Part 2 #Poetry #Poem #Modern #AI #Mechanization #VR #Life

Meditations on Modernity: Part 1 #Poetry #Poem #Modern #Busyness #Race #GeorgeEliot

21 Feb 2023

“If we had a keen vision of all ordinary human life, it would be like hearing the grass grow or the squirrel’s heart beat, and we should die of the roar which lies on the other side of silence. As it is, the quickest of us walk about well-wadded with stupidity.” George Eliot Meditations on … More Meditations on Modernity: Part 1 #Poetry #Poem #Modern #Busyness #Race #GeorgeEliot

Love: It’s Worth the Pain of Loss #Poem #Poetry #Love #Loss #Tennyson #Valentine #ValentinesDay

14 Feb 2023

Though you likely won’t find this excerpt from Tennyson’s immortal poem In Memoriam A. H. H. on any top ten list of love poems (by the way, here’s a list I liked), I would argue that section 27 deserves the honor of being labeled one of the most powerful love poems ever written. Tennyson commemorates … More Love: It’s Worth the Pain of Loss #Poem #Poetry #Love #Loss #Tennyson #Valentine #ValentinesDay

Photo of the Day Poems – Of #FastFood and #Fashion

8 Feb 2023

As I noted last week, these poems take a more lighthearted look at the world, specifically looking at fast food and fashion, though I doubt either situation would be seen as lighthearted by the soldiers lining the escalator or models walking the runway. Still, the images captured by these two photographers tell stories that go … More Photo of the Day Poems – Of #FastFood and #Fashion