Ooooh! Pick Meme!

I don’t usually respond to memes; I like to do my own thang here, and where poetry is concerned, I’d rather write it than write about it. But I’m also a good sport. And I like the folks at Poetry Thursday, whose patrons and participants are good eggs (good writers, too). So I’ll bite.

1. The first poem I remember reading/hearing/reacting to was...“The Raven,” by Edgar Allen Poe. He died here, after all, so he’s iconic. Poe’s poetry doesn’t do much for me, but he is the king of fiction's scare-your-pants-off club.

The first poem that got me to say, “Aha! This is what poetry is about!”—and only because of the way the poem was taught—is "Nutting," by William Wordsworth, as enthused by David Bergman. He made me get it, I continue to get it; since then, I have loved to read poetry nearly as much as I have loved to write it.

2. I was forced to memorize..."Poem," by Frank O’Hara, in school and I’m glad for the experience. We got to pick our own poem, and O’Hara remains one of my greatest poetic loves.*

3. I read poetry because...the soul needs nourishment—and from many sources: art, music, literature, poetry, nature. It’s like component of a multi-vitamin, without which you’re likely to get rickets or scurvy or even cancer (which you’ll likely get anyway, even of the soul).

4. A poem I’m likely to think about when asked about a favorite poem is...an untitled one by Wendell Berry. It is so beautiful and sad that I cry every time. I don’t agree with it—I’m not a pacifist, and where the Nazis are concerned, I say kill the fuckers, but I can’t help but feel the poem in my pores. My daughter rejoices when she finds out someone great is Jewish. I cringe when I find out someone evil is. When I learned that the car bomb was originally devised by Zionists, I felt betrayed. It may be counterproductive to feel hatred, but I don’t know that we can change ourselves to the core. At my core, I feel everything, even that.

5. I write poetry, but...I prefer writing essays now. I seem to talk too much lately for a poem. However, when I’m astounded by the beauty of something, I am usually less windy, and I try to go for something full of brevity.

6. My experience with reading poetry differs from my experience with reading other types of literature...because you don’t have to make time for a poem. That something usually so tiny can fill you so completely is one of life’s great mysteries. Of course, so is the current presidency. And bleu cheese.

7. I find poetry.... And then I devour it. But I like best when it finds and devours me.

8. The last time I heard poetry...was a moment ago, when Dennis shared his Joanne poem, inspired by my "Jimmy." I hope to always be able to say that my last poem was a moment ago.

9. I think poetry is like...vitamins, minerals—some major component that we could survive without, but poorly.

Now go read a poem. Better yet, listen to "Poem."