Do they have to die to get our attention?
Sometimes it seems that the poets who attract the most attention are those who committed suicide, like Sylvia Plath and Ann Sexton, or those who embody the cliché of the tortured writer, like the hard drinking Charles Bukowski. So I apologize for the sensationalistic title of my post, but if I’d entitled it, “April is National Poetry Month” I’d have lost half of you at the door.
It’s something of a conundrum, trying to champion this art form, considering that the last time some of you engaged with it may have been in high school, and it might have felt like you were having your face held in it, like your Dad was trying to force you to eat cold, squishy Brussels sprouts before letting you leave the dinner table. But poetry doesn’t have to be like over-cooked Brussels sprouts. Honest. Some of you may be convinced that poetry is not for you. I’m not going to try to convince you otherwise. But in the spirit of National Poetry Month, I’m going to offer the poetry-averse a few poems. And maybe poetry itself will change your mind.
You wouldn’t think a poem about the importance of proof reading could be so funny. Taylor Mali’s poem “The the impotence of proofreading” has been hilariously animated in this piece called Missed Aches. (Text version)
Black and white photos and a beautifully expressive reading enhance Canadian poet Al Purdy’s Transient.
Four poems by Canadian poets (John Robert Colombo, Leonard Cohen, James Reaney and George Johnston) are animated in this National Filmboard of Canada piece, Poets on Film No. 1
If you already love poetry, maybe you'd like to try writing your own. North York Central Library is offering a poetry writing workshop with poet Rosemary Aubert on April 26, 7:00 p.m, in the auditorium. Rosemary has published three books of poetry, and is the author of the acclaimed Ellis Portal mysteries, which are set in Toronto. Call 416-395-5639 to register for this free workshop.
As a reformed poetry avoider myself, I'd like to offer a tip to all you unreformed poetry avoiders who may wish to reconsider your stance: you don't have to understand every line to enjoy poetry. Because poetry is more than words and ideas, it's also sound, rhythm, music. In an interview with Adrienne Clarkson, Leonard Cohen said this about writing poetry: "You really do what sings."
It's never too early to start. I firmly believe that reading poetry aloud to kids is far more effective at helping them become fluent readers than a truck load of grammar lessons. It's as good for them as Brussels sprouts, and a lot more fun. Every household in Toronto inhabited by children who are seven or under should have a copy of Dennis Lee's Alligator Pie. Recite from it often. Whenever I have occasion to push a child in a swing, provided there are no adults very nearby, I recite the Dennis Lee poem below. It really sings. (I replace the name Jimmy with the name of the child in my care.)
Bump on Your Thumb
Who shall be king of the little kids' swing?
Jimmy's the king of the little kids' swing
With a bump on your thumb
And a thump on your bum
And a tickle my tum in Toronto.
Who shall see stars on the climbing bars?
Jimmy sees stars on the climbing bars
With a bump on your thumb
And a thump on your bum
And a tickle my tum in Toronto.
And who shall come home with the night for his throne?
Jimmy's come home with the night for his throne
With a bump on your thumb
And a thump on your bum
And a tickle my tum in Toronto.
8 thoughts on “Do they have to die to get our attention?”
“Genuine poetry can communicate before it is understood.”
-T.S. Eliot
It’s difficult to understand why there is a lack of interest in poetry when it is at the foundation of everything in vocal music. In music, it is not simply the beat and the instrumentals that wins the listener over. It is the lyrics, their meaning, and their flow.
Poetry and vocal music…the perfect marriage. Great example: poet-musician Leonard Cohen. “Dance me to the end of love” is such a beautiful song.
“Dance me to your beauty with a burning violin / Dance me through the panic ’til I’m gathered safely in”
Here’s a link to a beautiful live performance of it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ki9xcDs9jRk
My appreciation for this song was deepened even more when I read this quote from Leonard Cohen, about the song’s genesis: “…that came from just hearing or reading or knowing that in the death camps, beside the crematoria, in certain of the death camps, a string quartet was pressed into performance while this horror was going on, those were the people whose fate was this horror also. And they would be playing classical music while their fellow prisoners were being killed and burnt.”
Celebrate National Poetry Month by reading one of the books recently nominated for the Griffin Poetry Prize.
http://www.torontopubliclibrary.ca/books-video-music/books/award-winners/award-summary.jsp?awardTitle=Griffin_Poetry_Prize&listId=0AgLJAUL-ax5RdERXTG5TZ2dXNHliMm5hOXRnc3ZFT1E
I have always loved poetry! Maybe for those trying their broccoli for the first time they should take little tastes of it. They should not try to understand it but just taste it and feel it. Poetry is instinctual and trying to analyze it is a mistake at the beginning stages. If you must do that wait until you experience it sensually and then have fun dissecting it because that is just so much fun when you get into it. I like that you compared poetry to a food fetish because so many people cheat themselves by not partaking when just a little taste would get them interested.
Thanks for this, M. Wish I’d thought of it!
Yes! First taste, feel, listen, experience…Then, if you want, analyze…
And so many known and less known poets in translation. Here’s from great Greek poet Cavafy:
“Keep Ithaka always in your mind.
Arriving there is what you’re destined for.
But don’t hurry the journey at all.
Better if it lasts for years,
so you’re old by the time you reach the island,
wealthy with all you’ve gained on the way,
not expecting Ithaka to make you rich. ”
I love the quotation you sent, Iana. It shows how in just a few words, poetry can express so much. There is a whole life philosophy reflected in Cavafy’s words. Your comment brings up a topic I’ve wondered about–how does poetry fare when it’s translated? I mean, when you consider how each word in a poem is carefully chosen, and the meaning of a poem often depends on the fact that the words in a particular language can have several meanings, how much is lost? The ideas in the poem you quoted certainly survived the translation.