Sunday 13 May 2012

For Mother's Day: "The Lanyard"

One of my favourite contemporary poets is Billy Collins, Poet Laureate of the United States from 2001-2003. His poetry is always simple, direct and often very funny. Yet he also captures profound truths about human nature and life.

His poem "The Lanyard" is perfect for Mother's Day. In this video, following a very short voice-over intro by Garrison Keillor, Billy Collins reads his poem aloud at a poetry festival.



Happy Mother's Day to all Moms everywhere!

19 comments:

sonia said...

Thanks for this!

Plowing Through Life (Martha) said...

I loved this! Thanks for sharing it, Debra :) And have a wonderful Sunday.

Snap said...

Wonderful!

Anonymous said...

thats about the truth of it, summs it up quite well, what a hoot,

Bird said...

I LOVE Billy Collins. He's one of my all time favorites! :D It was such a pleasant surprise to see the Lanyard on your blog. I watched that special some years back with my son. (Who is a big fan of Billy's too.)Hope you have a beautiful day today too!

Hugs,
Bird

Michael said...

This is a very nice dedication to his mother, also pretty funny.

Robin Larkspur said...

Perfect for all the kids who made crafts at camps or in grammar school and presented them proudly to loving moms, who cherished the grubby things as if they were diamonds. Thanks for this Debra.

CraveCute said...

Since I know what a lanyard is, I was wondering what on earth your post was about! How funny! Our dear Mom's always cherished our gifts no matter how awful they really were! Great post!

Joyful Things said...

so good. I've given, and received, "lanyards" and remember each time it's not the gift but the thought.

mxtodis123 said...

I loved this. Thank you for sharing.
Mary

laughingwolf said...

truly a gem, thx deb...

yellowdoggranny said...

hahahahh....love it.

Anonymous said...

Thank you so much for posting this video and poem for me to see, for I really enjoyed this today!

35jupe said...

One of my most cherished possessions in a pottery fish that has had a couple of breaks of fins (glued back together).

This is a great poem. Thanks!

Judy said...

Absolutely wonderful...thank you...

Riot Kitty said...

I love Garrison Keillor. We should all be so irreverent.

young-eclectic-encounters said...

Delightful poem- I'm kinda torn between chuckles and tears- it certainly touched my heart
Johnina

Annie said...

That's wonderful! Thanks for sharing :)

Frostbite and Sunburn said...

That was wonderful.