“Bluebird” by Charles Bukowski (Born: 16 August 1920, Andernach, Germany — Died: 9 March 1994, Sa Pedro, USA, aged 73)

“Fire” by Rethabile Masilo (Born: 20 June 1961, Morija, Lesotho)

“Men” by Maya Angelou (Born: 4 April 1928, St. Louis, Missouri, U.S. — Died: 28 May 2014, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, U.S.)

“Midnight in Early Spring” by W. S. Merwin (Born: 30 September 1927, New York City, New York, U.S.—Died: 15 March 2019, Maui, Hawaii, U.S.)

“Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” by Robert Frost (Born: 26 March 1874, San Francisco, California, U.S.—Died: 29 January 1963, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.)

“Wanting to Die” by Anne Sexton (born Nov 9, 1928, Newton, Massachusetts, U.S.—died Oct 4, 1974, Weston, Massachusetts)

“Witness” by Ellen Rowland (She is described as a contemporary poet and writer living with her family on a small island in Greece)

“First They Came” by Martin Niemöller (born 14 January 1892, Lippstadt, Germany — died 6 March 1984, Wiesbaden, Germany)

“Season’s Wishes” are in order. May this year-end take away the misery of war and bring us a joyous life of peace.

“Tell Me” by The Rev. Ms. Julia Carter Aldrich (b: 1930, Webster Groves, Missouri — d: 21 June 2020, Cummington, Massachusetts)

“Sailing to Byzantium” by W. B. Yeats (born 13 June 1865, Sandymount, Dublin, Ireland — died 28 January 1939, Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, France)

“The Artist Orpheus” by Donald Justice (12 August 1925 – 6 August 2004 in Iowa City, Iowa, United States)

“Facing It” by Yusef Komunyakaa (born 29 April 1947 in Bogalusa, Louisiana, United States)

“Mercy” by Tyehimba Jess (born 18 April 1965 in Detroit, Michigan, United States)

“Remember” by Joy Harjo (born 9 May 1951 in Tulsa, Oklahoma, United States)

“The Soldier” by Rupert Brooke (Born August 3, 1887, Rugby, Warwickshire, England; died April 23, 1915, Skyros, Greece)

“The Great Fires” by Jack Gilbert (Born February 18, 1925, Pittsburgh; died November 13, 2012, Berkeley, California)

“For Warmth” by Thích Nhất Hạnh (11 Oct 1926-22 Jan 2022) He was a Vietnamese Thiền Buddhist monk, peace activist, poet and teacher.

“Le Chien” by Billy Collins (This poem turns a simple encounter with a dog into a meditation on attention, affection, and the small, disarming moments that reorient our sense of what matters).

“Paris to Maryville,” by Rethabile Masilo (Yes, I’m a Maryville, Blount County, East Tennessee Scot for life)