[New-Poetry] Poetic Justice

[Judy Prince]

Of course, John, everything you've said, and I quite like how you said it,
too.
I'm a virgin reader of Mary Oliver, having read 4 lines of hers which I
liked, from I guess [sent to me by a friend on 2 different collaged
postcards] a couple different poems, as well as the lines of hers you've
pasted in below.
If I read more of her work, will I be shockedly impressed at its poetry?  I
don't think so.  But I'd like to read some of your poems.

Now then, what is it that you've been wanting to hear from these doltish
fellows, Hal Johnson, Robin Hamilton, and the GrumMan and others on this
list?  [just joined it m'sel' 4 months ago, so not quite sure what's going
on yet]

OH dear, forgot I'd promised Bob I'd send him a poem I love and label
Breathtaking.

I label the following poem Tongue-Tinsel and Brain-Reset, with a flying
approach to near-Breathtaking:

Oct 24, 2008 12:16 AM
I love the purring of knowing
them<http://poemsfromprovidence.blogspot.com/2008/10/i-love-purring-of-knowing-them.html>
by Peter Ciccariello
I love the purring of knowing them,
So I will be moving the useless telephone
Of my monstrous self to the ubiquitous ringtone
That has been disrupting everyone's sleep
When is a heaven such a useless tell?
The letters and burning envelopes
Resting so soft and full on the edge of your bedside table
Are the only existing explanations of our archeology.
Listening to the warm purring of the flames against the laid paper
Reminds one how unpredictably disaster follows reticulation
These all should arrive in your post next week,
the edges of the burning, the purring, and the love.
Asking you only to tell them that I am gone, lover,
That we found all the evidence lover, and went ahead
anyway, with full knowledge of our actions.
I scratched all this conveniently in the mahogany
On your side of the bed


-------------------------------


2008/10/30 John Jeffrey <jjeffreymail at yahoo.com>

> Bob,
>
> I didn't mean to give the impression that I was attacking your kind of art,
> and I apologize if you felt that.  I only disagree with the definition of
> creativity.  I wouldn't have the snowballs to attack your fort because, to
> be honest, I don't understand New Poetry.  I've tried.  I've read it.  I've
> read theory.  But I get nothing.
>
> And not just the otherstreams, either.  Even the major rivers leave me
> nodding off on the banks.  A few weeks ago, the Writer's Almanac had one of
> those yawners that makes me weep at the state of poetry.  The title was "The
> Poet Goes to Indiana" (by Mary Oliver) and the first stanza read:
>
>    I'll tell you a half-dozen things
>    that happened to me
>    in Indiana
>    when I went that far west to teach.
>    You tell me if it was worth it.
>
> By the time I got to the third line I was thinking, What do I care?  And
> look at that third line: "In Indiana."  In Indiana?  That's worthy of its
> own line? a principal unit? a piece of the pie? a lego block? a thought that
> adds to the whole?  Bah!  No beauty in the writing.  No form to flatter.  No
> images.  No surprises.  Nothing but chit-chatty broken out by grammatical
> clauses.  Bah, I say again.
>
> And I'd dismiss is except that it's not atypical.
>
> I think we're in a poetic bear market.  Those near-empty spaces that you
> see if you look at poetry timelines, like the post Milton dirth.  We're in
> the dirth after a pretty good early 20th century.  It's been trending
> downward since.  (Though I'll admit my tastes are demode.)
>
> That's one of the reasons I joined this group: to read contemporary poets
> talking about contemporary poetry.  I thought that maybe some understanding
> would leap from the emails into my eyes.  But it's slow coming.
>
> John
>
>
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://wiz.cath.vt.edu/pipermail/new-poetry/attachments/20081101/669c19d5/attachment.html