There are so many poems that have moved me deeply.  In high school I discovered a poem by e.e. cummings that had a line that began, "Buffalo Bill's defunct..."  I also discovered a poem, "Swallow the Lake," by Clarence Major that blew my socks off.  In the latter years of high school I started reading Sonia Sanchez, Mari Evans, Carolyn Rodgers, etc.  These in addition to Langston Hughes and Sterling Brown.  College brought the fierce poet June Jordan and the incredibly succint and lyrical Lucille Clifton.

I probably read poetry less now than I did in those days but lines of poems waft through my mind almost daily in the same way that snatches of songs do.

There are so many poems and poets who have moved me deeply.Many that may be much more important or deeply moving than this. But I offer you my memory of being a young girl and this simple poem that changed the way I loooked at the world.

Auguries of Innocence

by William Blake

To see a World in a Grain of Sand

And a Heaven in a Wild Flower,

Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand

And Eternity in an hour.

As a young child I read this poem and  was moved by the thought that each little aspect of nature could be a universe in itself. I picked up my camera and looked deeper for the beauty ,for the story, for the knowledge that nature had to teach me. This small poem touched a child and changed the way I looked at life. Maybe it is because William Blake was also a painter of paint, and not just of words, that he inspired my photography. As I grew older, and developed a deeper interest in nature and conservation, I realized the warning imbedded in his words. What we do in our world today will start a chain reaction that will effect this planet forever. A poem written in 1803 still seems to be relevant in our world as we look to deal with global warming.

Thank you for letting us know about the contest.  I love your blog!

I'm a big fan of Dorothy Parker and really like the poem "Symptom Recital."  It's not exactly a feel good poem, but when I first read it, I really identified with it.  I wrote a blog post about it in honor of her birthday last year.  

Here is a link if you'd like to read it.

http://analisfirstamendment.blogspot.com/2007/08/post-noir-for-dorothy-parker-on-her.html