A Whirl-Blast from behind the hill

A Whirl-Blast from behind the hillRushed o'er the wood with startling sound;Then—all at once the air was still,And showers of hailstones pattered round.--From "A Whirl-Blast From Behind the Hill" - William WordsworthThe whirl-blast that took me from...

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Apr 02, 2025
Once more the storm is howling

ONCE more the storm is howling, and half hidUnder this cradle-hood and coverlidMy child sleeps on. There is no obstacleBut Gregory's wood and one bare hillWhereby the haystack- and roof-levelling wind.Bred on the Atlantic, can be stayed;And for...

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Mar 15, 2025
In visions of the dark night I have dreamed

In visions of the dark night     I have dreamed of joy departed-    But a waking dream of life and light     Hath left me broken-hearted.--From "A Dream" by Edgar Allan PoeDreams were a frequent...

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Mar 01, 2025
Success is counted sweetest by those who

Success is counted sweetest By those who ne'er succeed. To comprehend a nectar Requires sorest need.--From "Success is Counted Sweetest - by Emily DickinsonTaste the sweet nectar of victory by getting your short fiction piece in right away. It was du...

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Feb 16, 2025
The splendor falls on castle walls

The splendour falls on castle wallsAnd snowy summits old in story:The long light shakes across the lakes,And the wild cataract leaps in glory.Blow, bugle, blow, set the wild echoes flying,Blow, bugle; answer, echoes, dying, dying, dying.--From Blow,...

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Feb 01, 2025
All its children, sweep and prince

Where among the desert sandsSome deserted city stands,All its children, sweep and prince,Grown to manhood ages since,Not a foot in street or house,Not a stir of child or mouse,And when kindly falls the night,In all the town no spark of light.There I’...

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Jan 16, 2025
The flying cloud, the frosty light

Ring out, wild bells, to the wild sky,The flying cloud, the frosty light:The year is dying in the night;Ring out, wild bells, and let him die.Ring out the old, ring in the new,Ring, happy bells, across the snow:The year is going, let him go;Ring out...

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Jan 01, 2025
Houses and rooms are full of perfumes

Houses and rooms are full of perfumes, the shelves are crowded with perfumes,I breathe the fragrance myself and know it and like it,The distillation would intoxicate me also, but I shall not let it.--from: "Song of Myself," by Walt WhitmanI have to a...

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Dec 15, 2024
Some say the world will end in fire

Some say the world will end in fire,Some say in ice.From what I’ve tasted of desireI hold with those who favor fire.But if it had to perish twice,I think I know enough of hateTo say that for destruction iceIs also greatAnd would suffice.--Fire and Ic...

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Dec 01, 2024
While the process of becoming lost is usually

"While the process of becoming lost is usually a lot of fun, the entertainment value diminishes rapidly once the act is accomplished."--Patrick McManus--A Fine and Pleasant MiseryIf you haven't read any of the Patrick McManus books of short stories a...

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Nov 16, 2024