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…who picked it up from Cam. It’s late and I want to end the day with something a little positive and this is, well, a nice thing. (“Isn’t it nice that we live in such a thingy world?” Iris Murdoch, towards the end of her life). Thank you Cam and Bloglily…
1. The first poem I remember reading/hearing/reacting to was
Oooohhh. The poems and songs in The Hobbit at the age of nine, I think. Or “The Highwayman” by Alfred Noyes at the age of seven. Anything else would have been forcefed and doesn’t count.
2. I was forced to memorize (name of poem) in school and……..
That would be any number of poems in an elocution class due to a stammer I had. I’ve forgotten them all.
3. I read/don’t read poetry because….
I read poetry to read the truth in the spaces between words. Or to learn of someone’s passion or history or inner life in a way that can sometimes be uncomfortably intimate. Or just to rest for a minute in a moment of pure beauty. Or to get nudged, moved on, woken up, inspired. Same reason I listen to the new Joanna Newsom record “Ys”, by the way.
4. A poem I’m likely to think about when asked about a favorite poem is …….
Byzantium, by Yeats.
5. I write/don’t write poetry, but…………..
I write poetry but not very very often.
6. My experience with reading poetry differs from my experience with reading other types of literature…..
Mmmmm. Depends. Really, there are things about Tove Jannson’s Summer Book which are essentially poems. There’s a little bit of a Venn diagram that can be made between the circles of Raymond Carver’s stories and poetry.
7. I find poetry…..
…wherever I can. I keep some in my office, some in my bag, some positioned strategically all over our house, just in case.
8. The last time I heard poetry….
…I was reading it out loud to dudelet from Ted Hughes’ Collected Children’s Poems. The ones about the moon are up there with the Gruffalo.
9. I think poetry is like….
…lifeblood. Rock’n'roll. Prayer. Our cats.
Hey (un)relaxeddad- Thanks for commenting. What a great comment it was. I laughed. When I graduated form University I applied for a job at an insurance company and they called me back to see if I was interested in a janitorial position. Wha???? Almost as bad in an opposite way from your experience. I like your blog and look forward to reading more. I am going to link to you if you don’t mind? Speaking of poetry, you may like
http://www.sublimation.wordpress.com
She writes some beautiful and amazing things, oh and then see if you can find a link to The Radish King, very good as well.
Hey, is Wagamama still there? I ate there almost everyday for a month when I visited a friend who attended RADA. Take care of that lil’ familia!
Heidi
Hi Heidi! Wagamama is now all over London like a rash, though we’ve also spent a lot of money there. It’s surprisingly toddler friendly and watching dudelet wrestle determinedly with chopsticks is worth the price of admission alone.
Will check out sublimation…and I love links and have done contrariwise now that WordPress’s server has recovered from an apparent hissy fit (West Coast logging on?)
Just a quick note to say thanks for linking to ‘Mountains’. I’ll make a point of passing by your place when I can.
I think the only poetry I know right now is Cat in the Hat…
. I find poetry … wherever I can. I keep some in my office, some in my bag, some positioned strategically all over our house, just in case.
You are brilliant. I have a Poetry Emergency Kit (I’m not kidding you) filled with my favorite poems written by others, things that might inspire me to write (e.g., photos, a little book of art, objects that conjure up memories), and the essential writing tools, like a blank journal, pens, pencils and erasers. I want to be ready … just in case I need it.
Hey, Ms. Mamma said something nice about me above. I just noticed that. How nice of her. She’s one of my favorite bloggers. Great writer.
Rev Mugo – and thank you for your time and insights during the retreat of earlier this month!
C-TD – There are worse things to remember than Dr Seus!
Dana – the posting about pillow walls on your site touched off (see today) unbelievable guilt!