At Voice Alpha, they’re concerned with the art of reading poetry aloud for an audience (h/t Writing Without Paper). A little while back the discussion centered around the choice between reading or reciting one’s poetry. I offered the following thought about my own choice. I don’t write my poetry to be performed, but to be […]
Eating Poetry (XXXI) – Neruda’s Memoirs
Maureen Doallas, a friend of this blog – of many blogs, writers, and artists – proof positive that Twitter and Facebook are a benefaction, and a blogger herself at Writing Without Paper, is among her varied talents also a poet, whose collection Neruda’s Memoirs, if not written, at least published on paper, is just out […]
Eating Poetry (XXIX) – “Next, Please”
Next, Please Philip Larkin Always too eager for the future, we Pick up bad habits of expectancy. Something is always approaching; every day Till then we say, Watching from a bluff the tiny, clear Sparkling armada of promises draw near. How slow they are! And how much time they waste, Refusing to make haste! Yet […]
Eating Poetry (XXVII) – “My Ship Isn’t Pretty”
Part of the difficulty in considering song lyrics as poetry is the crucial omission of the role the music plays. Poetry is meant to contain its own music; even the most imagistic, syntactically concentrated and ideationally evocative song lyrics find their true measure in the music of the song, which offers connectors the lyrics will […]
Eating Poetry (XXVI) – “A Contribution to Statistics”
A Contribution to Statistics Out of a hundred people those who always know better -fifty-two doubting every step -nearly all the rest, glad to lend a hand if it doesn’t take too long -as high as forty-nine, always good because they can’t be otherwise -four, well maybe five, able to admire without envy -eighteen, suffering […]