By the end of the poem the speaker wholly identifies with Thor, capable of destruction as well as creation and blessing, and the poem ends in a place of tremendous raw power and confidence with her joyfully striking the flat glowing disc of her “own sun.” What a wonderful affirmation of the act of creativity!

I was hooked by "Yuletide," then drawn in by the breathless, energetic style offering a fresh take on an old story of love, loss, and redemption.

Christina Rossetti was devoted to deep Christian conviction and a rich artistic sensibility. Both influences can be seen in this poem’s spare, even stark diction that seems to belie the intensity of its imagery and underlying religious themes.

We each see, hear, sense what we think we’re saying or hearing; but often that connection to another is lost. And silence looms in the air.

Just as no self-respecting woman in the Forties would attend church in pedal pushers, the poem tells us, neither would she enter a church “veiled and ambling in on a she-ass.”

Today’s poem for Veterans Day does more than just pay homage to soldiers fallen in battle; it also carries an implicit critique of the wars that give rise to such battles.

“All Hallows Eve, Edgewater Inn” is both an occasional poem about Halloween and a pastoral poem, one where a speaker’s contemplation of a natural landscape triggers inner reflection.

What is happening to Salvadoran refugees in this country today are the threads that weave the rich, tragic tapestry of today’s poem.