[New-Poetry] Poetic Justice

[John Jeffrey]

Oliver's stuff is probably great for postcards.  I can picture a line or two on top of a glossy photo of the woods or a close up of a flowering plant or a bird.  Yes, yes, she can write, put a smooth sentence together, describe a scene, but she heavy bores me.  I know that Bob said it was unfair to comment on only the first stanza and that maybe I have to give the poem time, but I did read the whole poem; I gave it the time.  (Then I dozed off for a bit.)  I just think the opening is a good example of one of my issues with contemporary poetry.  (I just re-read it.  Now I'm tired again.)

About what I wanted to hear from this group, it's nothing more than discussions about poetry and poets.  The list is "New Poetry," so I figured that new poetry would be discussed, perhaps in some depth.  That's it.  It's impossible to read (or even to have heard of) all the poetry that's coming out: joining this group was a way of expanding my circle.  I know plenty of poets (I write a newsletter that lists the readings in my state, which keeps me in touch with the poetry reading crowd), but though many of them write poetry, they don't seem toread too much of it.  It's a strange phenomenon, rife in poetry:  People feel they can practice the art without studying it.  So those folks don't talk the talk.

But I figured an email list of poets talking about poetry would talk about poets and poetry.  (Did you follow that?)  And this seems a diverse crowd.  I hadn't heard of many of the poets in the group before joining the group, which also is a good thing.  I'd heard Tad Richards read and was an early subscriber to Situations.  And, even before joining the group, I had bought and have smilingly (and sometimes in teeth-gnashed envy) read R.S. Gwynn's book, No Word of Farewell.  But none of the others, though I've now visited some web sites or done some searching.  It's a good group to eavesdrop.  The circle expands, stretched out in some bizarre ways, at times, yes. But who needs a perfect circle anyway.

JohnJ

not
in Indiana

 




________________________________
From: Judy Prince <jbalizsprince at googlemail.com>
To: "NewPoetry: Contemporary Poetry News &, Views" <new-poetry at wiz.cath.vt.edu>
Sent: Saturday, November 1, 2008 11:59:18 PM
Subject: Re: [New-Poetry] Poetic Justice

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
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







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