Translated By Michael Hofmann
april breath
of boyish red
the tongue crushes
strawberry dreams
hack away wound
and wound the fountain
and on the mouth
perspiration white
from someone's neck
a little tooth
has bit the finger
of the bride the
tabby yellow and sere
howls
the red boy
from the gable flies
an animal hearkens
in his white throat
his juice runs down
pigeon thighs
a pale sweet spike
still sticks
in woman white
lard
an april breath
of boyish red
By Thomas Carew
Now that the winter's gone, the earth hath lost
Her snow-white robes, and now no more the frost
Candies the grass, or casts an icy cream
Upon the silver lake or crystal stream;
But the warm sun thaws the benumbed earth,
And makes it tender; gives a sacred birth
To the dead swallow; wakes in hollow tree
The drowsy cuckoo, and the humble-bee.
Now do a choir of chirping minstrels bring
In triumph to the world the youthful Spring.
The valleys, hills, and woods in rich array
Welcome the coming of the long'd-for May.
Now all things smile, only my love doth lour;
Nor hath the scalding noonday sun the power
To melt that marble ice, which still doth hold
Her heart congeal'd, and makes her pity cold.
The ox, which lately did for shelter fly
Into the stall, doth now securely lie
In open fields; and love no more is made
By the fireside, but in the cooler shade
Amyntas now doth with his Chloris sleep
Under a sycamore, and all things keep
Time with the season; only she doth carry
June in her eyes, in her heart January.
By Arthur Sze
The tide ebbs and reveals orange and purple sea stars.
I have no theory of radiance,
but after rain evaporates
off pine needles, the needles glisten.
In the courtyard, we spot the rising shell of a moon,
and, at the equinox, bathe in its gleam.
Using all the tides of starlight,
we find
vicissitude is our charm.
On the mud flats off Homer,
I catch the tremor when waves start to slide back in;
and, from Roanoke, you carry
the leafing jade smoke of willows.
Looping out into the world, we thread
and return. The lapping waves
cover an expanse of mussels clustered on rocks;
and, giving shape to what is unspoken,
forsythia buds and blooms in our arms.
Words shape how we communicate, express ideas, and engage with the world around us. Today’s Word of the Day, assertive, is a powerful term that reflects confidence, clarity, and respectful self-expression—qualities that are essential in both literature and community dialogue.
At Emerald Book Club, being assertive is not about dominance—it is about finding your voice and using it effectively.
Amid the blooms your hand finds mine,
A bond eternal, pure and divine.
Through gentle days and trials deep
Our vows are roots that never sleep.
Like butterflies in morning air,
Our love takes flight beyond despair,
No fleeting time, nor passing year,
Can dim the truth that keeps us near.
Your Voice a calm that soothes my way
It turns the night to brighter day,
Through storms that bend the fragile tree,
Your strength remains a shield for me.
In every leaf, in skies above,
The World is painted with our love,
And as the seasons come and go
Our Garden blooms, its light will grow
Hannah Morales
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