I love to read, and I've always got at least one book that I am working on. While I usually don't like to read more than one book at a time, that sometimes happens. Like now, for instance - I am reading my main book, a fantasy novel, and I am also reading two books of poetry. The poetry, however, takes second fiddle and I only read it whenever I have a few spare moments.

One of the poets I am reading is William Blake, and I have discovered two new things about him that I didn't previously know. 1) Not only was he an excellent poet, but he was also a painter and an engraver. And 2) The title of U2's 2014 album Songs of Innocence, along with that of their 2017 follow-up, Songs of Experience, are taken from William Blake's collection of poems. I can't believe I didn't know that second one, especially since I have been a fan of both U2 and William Blake for so many years! Sheesh! Well, better late than never I guess.

Anyway, whenever springtime abounds, I get in the mood to read poetry. So I downloaded a wonderful copy of Blake's Songs of Innocence and of Experience from Project Gutenberg, and am really enjoying it! The first introduction poem is one of my favorites, so I thought I'd share it here, and hopefully brighten your day a little bit. Enjoy!

Piping down the valleys wild,
   Piping songs of pleasant glee,
On a cloud I saw a child,
   And he laughing said to me:

‘Pipe a song about a Lamb!’
   So I piped with merry cheer.
‘Piper, pipe that song again.’
   So I piped: he wept to hear.

‘Drop thy pipe, thy happy pipe;
   Sing thy songs of happy cheer!’
So I sung the same again,
   While he wept with joy to hear.

‘Piper, sit thee down and write
   In a book, that all may read.’
So he vanished from my sight;
   And I plucked a hollow reed,

And I made a rural pen,
   And I stained the water clear,
And I wrote my happy songs
   Every child may joy to hear. 

- by William Blake