Where has the poetry gone?

Nicholas Kristof


Nicholas Kristof in his New York Times column of November third laments the loss of poetry in our President. He worries that Obama is being faithful to Mario Cumo’s observation of politicians that they campaign in poetry but govern in prose. Kristoff writes that the American people “wouldn’t mind being lifted by an occasional verse of poetry.”


I agree, but I’m not sure we should look to our president for that. I am willing to settle for well thought out lucid prose from the President. We can find our poetry elsewhere.

I think our need for poetry is in our DNA. Note how babies and young children respond to the rhythms of the nursery rhyme. As adults we love the lyrics to our songs, given to us by such poets as Bob Dylan, Stephen Sondheim and Cole Porter. Hopefully, we learn to love and read poetry in our schools. We can continue our love affair after we leave school, by reading poems, attending poetry events and even writing it ourselves.

The pundits have criticized Obama as being too detached and without emotion. Maybe we need to start with ourselves and make sure our passions are getting a workout through remaining connected with poetry. It is out there. Let us passionately pursue it.


http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/04/opinion/04kristof.html?_r=1&ref=nicholasdkristof

Reaping The Harvest

Maxine Kumin

Lots of poetry events are happening locally this fall. Eight poet laureates are reading at the Library of Congress this Wednesday, October 6th. What an abundance of riches that will be!

The Library is also offering a Fall 2010 Poetry at Noon Series starting October 19th.

The Folger Shakespeare Library has scheduled "The Hardison Poetry Series" for 2010/11. It began September 28th with Edward Hirsch making the case for poetry and continues once a month into May 2011.

Georgetown University has a 2010/11 Reading Series at the Lannan Center, featuring a plethora of poets.

Who said D.C. was just a government town?

Speaking of Poet laureates, former poet laureate, Charles Simic posted (LC site) a list of things to keep in mind when writing a poem. I thought I'd share a few of them with you.

"Don't tell the readers what they already know about life and don't assume you're the only one in the world who suffers."

"Don't overwrite, but do consider what you are writing down a draft that will need additional tinkering, perhaps many months, and even year of tinkering."

I invite you to consider this your mantra for the month of October.

Tinker, tinker, tinker.

Reap, reap, reap.

 

http://www.loc.gov/today/pr/2010/10-187.html

Guest reader of the month - Susan Jones

Susan Jones, of Paris, Tennessee, reads "I Should Have Known".

Speak with forked tongue please.

It’s hard to speak the truth. Sometimes hard to even recognize it. We have to think, check our sources and keep an open mind and heart. Even then, it will be filtered through our genetic pool, value system and experience aggregate. Quite a chore.

We use words to shape our thoughts, clarify them and express them. Words can inform, comfort, mislead, deceive and hurt. They have power.

Freedom of speech is a right and a privilege. A right to be protected and celebrated.

Some people have taken this to mean the right to say anything and everything, everywhere and in any way. The right of free association. The right to be rude, offensive and uncivil.

To speak with forked tongue means to speak with the intention of deceiving. There are times, however, when I think it might be wise to stick a fork in our tongues before we speak. Maybe our pain will remind us to think and to choose our words carefully. Words matter.

A Weapon Of Words---The Obit of Mr. Njawe

"A word can be a weapon, and I believe that with the word...we can build a better world and make happier people."

The above quote is from the obituary of Mr. Njawe, which appeared in "The Washington Post" several weeks ago.

Mr Njawe was an African journalist who wrote his values with uncommon courage. He was an independent writer, editor, publisher and foremost, a fighter for truth in the written word in a country that punished such open, steadfast dedication to freedom of the press.He started Cameroon's first independent newspaper "The Messenger" in which he wrote openly about government corruption and abuses. He received many death threats and was arrested more than 100 times.

I am in awe of such courage, such fierce dedication to freedom of the press and to the truth as he saw it. The world is surely better for his having lived in it. His death in a car accident at age 53 is a loss for all of us.

His quote goes on "....So why give up while duty still calls? No one will silence me, except the Lord, before I achieve what I consider as a mission in my native country, in Africa and why not, in the world."

His life inspired me to write this poem.



Elegy to Pius Njawe


You were called to

fight

with weapons of words,

aimed over and over,

arrows to truth,

the courage of a

warrior

silenced by death,

while we are still

listening.

THE INSPIRATION OF PERSPIRATION

The hazy, hot, humid days of summer have us in their vise-like grip. The trips from house to car to destination awaken sweat glands. Lungs fill with still, dank air.
According to Thomas Edison, "Genius is 99% perspiration and 1% inspiration." Alas, that doesn't seem to be true for me.

Although at times, my perspiration levels spike to 99%---lethargy has set in and "the muse is on vacation."

So rather than writing something original and fresh, I am coping out and plagiarizing from my own book, At The Turquoise Table. Here's a stanza from one of the poems in the book called "Summer Heat."

Summer heat overstays,

an unwelcome guest

who lingers and exhausts

with endless conversation,

I long to take its sweaty hand

in mine...

lead it to the door

and in most certain tones

ask it to leave.

I love a mystery

I heard Kay Ryan read at the Library of Congress on Thursday. It was her "retirement" reading from being the poet laureate of the U.S. for the last two years. Many of the poems she read were short, humorous and accessible.


It brought to mind the complaints I've often heard about poetry being hard to understand. So I decided to google her and see if Kay had anything to say about that.

I found her under Poets.org with a link to a panel discussion called "Clarity and Obscurity in Poetry". (interesting read). Kay was one of the panelist and is quoted as saying that she is determined to send her signal as strongly and clearly as possible. I hear the voices asking..."where then is the poetry?"

Kay answered that question by reading Robert Frost's Poem "Dust of Snow". According to her, it is a poem that is quite clear on the surface, yet contains something other, a mystery. "It's clarity points to something that isn't rational."

I love a mystery---so I'm putting the poem below to read and re-read. Join me in the adventure of finding the mystery in Frost's poem.



Dust of Snow



The way a crow

Shook down on me

The dust of snow

From a hemlock tree



Has given my heart

A change of mood

And saved some part

Of a day I had rued.