Left: Meryl Streep and Clint Eastwood from the film “The Bridges of Madison County”.
Hello, and welcome back to Poetry Wednesday 11/26/08. You can sign in today and take the tour thru Thursday, so take your time.

I’ll be your hostess again this week. My sister, Sans Souci, is on a break, putting together her own poetry book, but she will check in.

Before we get started, please make sure that your post has a link to get back to this page to make it easier to take the tour:

1) Copy and paste the following link that I have provided for you from this page to somewhere on your poetry post.

Link back to the Poetry Wednesday tour on Laurita’s page

 2) Leave the link of your poetry post in the comments section below. This is the link guests will click on to read your poem (see my post below as an example).

I’m going to start things off this week with a poem by William Butler Yeats which was referenced from the novel, “The Bridges of Madison County”. While I was doing the post for the Yeats poem, I discovered for myself a great jazz singer from the movie soundtrack; Johnny Hartman.

Johnny Hartman (right) was the quintessential romantic balladeer. The only singer to record with John Coltrane, Hartman was mostly known only to true jazz lovers during his lifetime. It took a movie soundtrack — released 12 years after his death — that took Hartman to the top of the jazz charts.

Actor, producer and director Clint Eastwood chose several of Hartman’s recordings for the dreamy romantic scenes in his film, “The Bridges of Madison County” , a story about a brief love affair between an aging photographer and a Midwestern housewife.

This song is the introduction to my post this week. You are listening to:

I See Your Face Before Me
by Howard Dietz and Arthur Schwartz
performed by Johnny Hartman
from the soundtrack of “The Bridges of Madison County”

In a world of glitter and glow
In a world of tinsel and show
The unreal from the real thing
is hard to know.

I discovered somebody who
could be truly worthy and true
Yes, I found my ideal thing
when I met you.

I see your face before me
You are my only dream
There is your face before me
you are my only theme

If you could see the magic
If you could see me too
There would be nothing tragic
In all my dreams of you.

It doesn’t matter where you are
I can see how fair you are
I close my eyes and there you
are always.

If you could see the magic
If you could see me too
there would be nothing tragic
In all my dreams of you

Would that my love would haunt
you so
knowing I want you so
I can’t erase your beautiful
face before me.

Roseman Bridge
Winterset, Iowa

The Tour Starts Here

 [mp3j track=”ISeeYourFaceBeforeMe.mp3″]
29 CommentsChronological Reverse Threaded

editdeletereply lauritasita wrote on Nov 24, ’08 Here I am: http://lauritasita.multiply.com/journal/item/1016/Poetry_Wednesday_112608_William_Butler_Yeats

deletereply sugarpiehuny wrote on Nov 24, ’08, edited on Nov 24, ’08 Wonderful start for my week.. Sorry I have nothing now but I will be back to read and maybe post.. Thanks again.. This is so lovely…Woke for the second day with a migraine and this is so soothing.. Better than medicine! 🙂

deletereply sanssouciblogs wrote on Nov 24, ’08 This is great! Evan visited the bridges on his trip! My post(s) is/area about jazz. The lead-in blog: http://sanssouciblogs.multiply.com/journal/item/497/318. The follow-up with poem: http://sanssouciblogs.multiply.com/journal/item/498 (I am having a problem with loading pages this morning; please be patient. Mutliply is acting like (gasp!!!!) YAHOO.

deletereply billatplay wrote on Nov 24, ’08, edited on Nov 24, ’08 A veritable feast awaits http://billatplay.multiply.com/journal/item/99/Before_Thanksgiving I remember the film well and the love trauma too and you poem gels both together for me. Than you again for hosting and on a personal not have a nice Thanksgiving.

deletereply starfishred wrote on Nov 24, ’08 here is mine http://starfishred.multiply.com/journal/item/851/POETRY_WEDNESDAY

deletereply sugarpiehuny wrote on Nov 24, ’08, edited on Nov 24, ’08 I added some so I posted my link below….Thanks for indulging me…

deletereply skeezicks1957 wrote on Nov 24, ’08 I made it this week. Sure have missed you all the last few weeks!!! http://skeezicks1957.multiply.com/journal/item/591

deletereply mellajenn wrote on Nov 24, ’08 ok.,.I am already lost., how do you sign in ? Or is this how?

deletereply sugarpiehuny wrote on Nov 24, ’08, edited on Nov 24, ’08 Yes Mel.. this is how…You can see everyone links here…just read or post your link to your poetry here…

deletereply mellajenn wrote on Nov 24, ’08 ok..thanks. 🙂

editdeletereply lauritasita wrote on Nov 24, ’08, edited on Nov 25, ’08 Mellajenn, just remember to set your poetry post to “everyone”, not “network”. Thanks. Laurita.

deletereply sugarpiehuny wrote on Nov 24, ’08 http://sugarpiehuny.multiply.com/video/item/96/Memories..Poetry_Wed.._ I added a tribute to my sister.. Today she would have been 69…

editdeletereply lauritasita wrote on Nov 24, ’08 Me again: http://lauritasita.multiply.com/journal/item/1022/Poetry_Wednesday_112608_I_Ate_Too_Much_Turkey_

deletereply papahere wrote on Nov 24, ’08 HAPPY THANKSGIVING…visit Papa’s blog for appetisers. http://papahere.multiply.com/journal/item/333/THANKSGIVING_DAY…POETRY_WEDNESDAY

deletereply dianahopeless wrote on Nov 24, ’08 Here is mine: http://dianahopeless.multiply.com/journal/item/424/Poetry_Wednesday

deletereply gileson wrote on Nov 25, ’08 This week’s contribution http://gileson.multiply.com/journal/item/317/Round_and_Round_We_Go

deletereply jayaramanms wrote on Nov 25, ’08 My entry this week is again a poem by Rabindranath Tagor, named LOTUS. Please see it at – http://jayaramanms.multiply.com/journal/item/275/275. Thanx to all..

deletereply sassyangelac wrote on Nov 25, ’08 http://sassyangelac.multiply.com/journal/item/348/Poetry_Wednesday–Hips_Like_An_Ocean

deletereply tinallee57 wrote on Nov 25, ’08 With two crashed hard drives in one week, I feel especially lucky to be able to participate at last! No Thanksgiving theme from me yet… need to get this one out of my system first…

deletereply tinallee57 wrote on Nov 25, ’08 http://tinallee57.multiply.com/journal/item/3/Proof Ooops, here’s the link – and I tried so hard to get everything right the first time!

deletereply sweetpotatoqueen wrote on Nov 25, ’08 Laurita: Love the music! Please drop by and join me for the theme of gratitude this week! http://sweetpotatoqueen.multiply.com/journal/item/208/Thoughts_of_Gratitude_in_Poetry

deletereply gileson wrote on Nov 25, ’08 http://gileson.multiply.com/journal/item/318/A_Cowboy_Thanksgiving

deletereply gileson wrote on Nov 26, ’08 San Souci said she liked the Cowboy Poem very much and wondered if I could come up with something similar before Poetry Wednesday ends this week. I aim to please, and hope this one fits the bill. http://gileson.multiply.com/journal/item/319/

deletereply sylvie1 wrote on Nov 26, ’08 http://sylvie1.multiply.com/journal/item/693/POETRY_WEDNESDAY_…_JOURNEY_OF_THE_SPIRIT

deletereply forgetmenot525 wrote on Nov 26, ’08 I love every thing about this post. One of my all time favourite books is ”The Bridges of Madison County”, I love the film, I love the soundtrack, I love the poem, but most of all …………..I love that Book!!. Thanks for this, thank you especially for the photo, I never did know if the bridges really existed or if they were just part of the story, now I know they are real. (or at least this one is) http://forgetmenot525.multiply.com/journal/item/221/Poetry_wednesday_Count_that_day_lost

deletereply forgetmenot525 wrote on Nov 26, ’08 I have done my best to visit every one this evening but unfortunatly Multiply is being very difficult again, I’m having problems loading the pages and leaving messages, this is the third attempt to post this!! hope it works. So…………….happy thanksgiving to every one and I will try again tomorrow evening to do the full ‘tour”

editdeletereply lauritasita wrote on Nov 26, ’08 Loretta, Thanks so much for the sweet comment and visiting here. Take your time with the tour. I always leave the sign in page up, so don’t worry. I love The Bridges of Madison County, too.

deletereply tinallee57 wrote on Nov 26, ’08 Something more on-topic for Thanksgiving. Warning: very different from the Tea poem. http://tinallee57.multiply.com/journal/item/4/Giving_Thanks

editdeletereply lauritasita wrote on Nov 27, ’08 You can continue to tour, but hold any new poetry posts for my next sign in page. Thanks so much everyone ! You’ve all been great participants !