Dennis pointed out I made a homophone error in a review. Or homonym? I never could keep those things straight. So, I googled it of course and, it wasn't totally easy to reach a conclusion. Some sites don't seem to know themselves. Particularly one home schooling site which makes me fear for the next generation. I went to WorldBook online to get the answer.
Homonyms are words that are spelled and pronounced the same but have different meanings. Like grizzly bear versus The Violent Bear it Away.
All homonyms are a form of homographs. To be a homograph, words are spelled the same but may not be pronounced the same. An example is bass the fish versus bass in your stereo system. Like the asshole neighbor who comes home after the bars close on Tuesday mornings blasting his stereo full throttle loves his bass while I in turn would like to hit him in the face with a rotting bass.
Homophones are words with the same pronunciation but different spellings and meanings. As in what I inadvertently wrote: right versus write. Or their/there.
Finally, I listened to a Poetry Magazine podcast about the poet Dorothea Grossman. She is a lady in her 70's who records her poetry with an improv trombonist. The poems made me smile plus they were able to convey a complete visual and tell a story in such a brevity of lines. I think I'm going to have to seek out her CD. Here are a few of her poems. The first two were on the podcast, read by Dorothea herself. I sometimes have difficulty listening to poems being read because I need to read the lines but these were short enough and her style of reading was so witty and engaging that it's worth seeking out audio of her readings. Not all poets liked to read their own work publicly (including one of my favorites, Elizabeth Bishop.)
I have to tell you
I have to tell you,
there are times when
the sun strikes me
like a gong,
and I remember everything,
even your ears
Noon Concert
These frail, white widows
who get their hair done weekly
in tight curls,
like little flowers,
bend their heads
until the applause
says it’s time
to be brave again.
Spring
The murderer,
on his way to work,
stops to admire the wisteria
framing his doorway,
and waves
to the bug-eyed azaleas.
on his way to work,
stops to admire the wisteria
framing his doorway,
and waves
to the bug-eyed azaleas.
(I don't know what this last one is called but it was the funniest of the lot. I found it here:)
Ernest Heminway and Soren Kierkegaard
liked to write standing up at a podium.
I hear you ask, "Why?"
I do not know for sure
but it must have been uncomfortable
after, say, 15 minutes,
which might explain
the darkness of their work,
or even why
nobody cares about them
anymore.
There is an interview and a sample of her poems here.
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