Hello back to Andrea! It's hard not to like Billy Collins. His genius is clear in his work, but not in a head scratching kind of way. I like his honesty, a trait which has become more and more important to me. Listen to him read The Lanyard. As the mother of three boys, I find it dead on. It's hilarious but also incredibly sweet. The last line gets to me every time.
Oh right lanyards!! I think I did my first one at a 'camp' in that little park down the big grass hill next to Ludlowe, I can picture the counselor gal who must have been 13 sitting up on a picnic bench while I was doing it. All those things we save that the kids are assigned to do at school... still a bunch of them as ornaments on our tree
There must have been a day camp at Sturges Park? I went to a couple of two-week sessions at Camp Mohawk. But it didn't take. I think I was having too much fun at the FBC! But I loved gimp! Weaving those plastic strips into a bracelet was one of my favorite things to do at arts & crafts. I'm not a gifted crafter, but gimp came easily to me. I wonder where I could find some...
An interesting perspective on poetry. Personally, I think that whether poets are “better” at word choice depends on the context and purpose. Their selection of words are typically aimed at creating a specific mood or insight. Essayists and novelists tend to use a broader vocabulary to develop ideas and narrative over longer passages. Clarity and storytelling requires a different approach to word choice. I suppose long poems like “The Raven” by Poe and “leaves of Grass’ by Whitman and/ or “Song of Hiawatha” by Longfellow are somewhere in the middle. Thank you for bringing up this interesting subject!!
Former U.S. poet laureate Rita Dove, whom I was fortunate to interview because she was the first woman and first African American to hold the post, told me that poetry should be approached like a song - read/listen for the emotion and imagery, and don't try too hard to interpret. Some of my favorite poems - I'm not at all sure I know what they mean!
My sister Andrea (she says hi!) really likes Billy Collins too. I guess these days I like shorter ones, not because I'm lazy (necessarily) but I kind of like the feeling of take the pill and then sit there and see what happens...
“I’d rather drive to New York backwards than live with any of them again.” That that’s a line from a poem titled “the way it is now“ by Charles Bukowski. It’s in the “Good Poems“ Susan mentioned. I can remember it easily because I thought it was funny and I could picture it. It motivated me to get a collection of Bukowski poetry. I was fascinated by the drinking, the gambling, the loose women, and the low life grit. This was like no poetry I’d ever read before. It was titillating for me in a junior high way – like a big loud fart during a cultured sophisticated poetry reading. My feeling of excitement waned and I became more and more bored by the repetition as I read. I eventually came to feel a self-centeredness about the poet that I didn’t like. I’m curious if anyone has had a similar experience.
It's hard for me to react to anything but the big fart! Boy, do I love fart humor. But yes, the Bukowski poems quickly became one note for me - daring, different, and irreverent at first, and then hedonistic and tedious.
Hello back to Andrea! It's hard not to like Billy Collins. His genius is clear in his work, but not in a head scratching kind of way. I like his honesty, a trait which has become more and more important to me. Listen to him read The Lanyard. As the mother of three boys, I find it dead on. It's hilarious but also incredibly sweet. The last line gets to me every time.
Oh right lanyards!! I think I did my first one at a 'camp' in that little park down the big grass hill next to Ludlowe, I can picture the counselor gal who must have been 13 sitting up on a picnic bench while I was doing it. All those things we save that the kids are assigned to do at school... still a bunch of them as ornaments on our tree
There must have been a day camp at Sturges Park? I went to a couple of two-week sessions at Camp Mohawk. But it didn't take. I think I was having too much fun at the FBC! But I loved gimp! Weaving those plastic strips into a bracelet was one of my favorite things to do at arts & crafts. I'm not a gifted crafter, but gimp came easily to me. I wonder where I could find some...
An interesting perspective on poetry. Personally, I think that whether poets are “better” at word choice depends on the context and purpose. Their selection of words are typically aimed at creating a specific mood or insight. Essayists and novelists tend to use a broader vocabulary to develop ideas and narrative over longer passages. Clarity and storytelling requires a different approach to word choice. I suppose long poems like “The Raven” by Poe and “leaves of Grass’ by Whitman and/ or “Song of Hiawatha” by Longfellow are somewhere in the middle. Thank you for bringing up this interesting subject!!
Good thoughts, Ruth. I'm thankful for the broader vocabulary!
Ok! I’ll give poetry a try. To discuss when I see you
I'll be interested to see where you start. Good luck, good pal.
Former U.S. poet laureate Rita Dove, whom I was fortunate to interview because she was the first woman and first African American to hold the post, told me that poetry should be approached like a song - read/listen for the emotion and imagery, and don't try too hard to interpret. Some of my favorite poems - I'm not at all sure I know what they mean!
I love this, Bethe. Not trying too hard to interpret can usher in enjoyment.
My sister Andrea (she says hi!) really likes Billy Collins too. I guess these days I like shorter ones, not because I'm lazy (necessarily) but I kind of like the feeling of take the pill and then sit there and see what happens...
“I’d rather drive to New York backwards than live with any of them again.” That that’s a line from a poem titled “the way it is now“ by Charles Bukowski. It’s in the “Good Poems“ Susan mentioned. I can remember it easily because I thought it was funny and I could picture it. It motivated me to get a collection of Bukowski poetry. I was fascinated by the drinking, the gambling, the loose women, and the low life grit. This was like no poetry I’d ever read before. It was titillating for me in a junior high way – like a big loud fart during a cultured sophisticated poetry reading. My feeling of excitement waned and I became more and more bored by the repetition as I read. I eventually came to feel a self-centeredness about the poet that I didn’t like. I’m curious if anyone has had a similar experience.
It's hard for me to react to anything but the big fart! Boy, do I love fart humor. But yes, the Bukowski poems quickly became one note for me - daring, different, and irreverent at first, and then hedonistic and tedious.