poetry thursday meme

1. The first poem I remember reading/hearing/reacting to was a collection of nursery rhymes my mother read to me. Many of these rhymes have stayed with me to this day, such as "they that wash on Sunday have all the week to dry....." etc. The old British rhymes are odd little poems - a gift of British eccentricity.

2. I was forced to memorize Macbeth’s famous speech about the dagger that he sees before him. Highschool English. After memorizing them, we had to write them correctly on paper - commas, semi-colons and all! It was tricky.

3. I don't read poetry because.... reading poetry takes a lot out of me emotionally. I love it and hate it, simultaneously. Poetry requires more attention than a novel does. When I do read poetry, I give it all the attention it demands, and I usually get just as much back.

4. A poem I'm likely to think about when asked about a favorite poem is ....... Love III by George Herbert. It’s cryptic, like all of Herbert’s poems, but also simple. It’s an amazing reflection on human pride.

5. I write/don't write poetry, but.............. I wish I could find my voice. I’m feeling the need to express myself more – which is good. But I’m scared of the aloneness of the creative act. I’m scared of finding a voice that is truly my own.

6. My experience with reading poetry differs from my experience with reading other types of literature..... because poetry forces me into a moment of experience. When you read a novel, you can chart your progress — page 30 — page 92 etc. When you read a poem, you aren’t necessarily going anywhere. You’re on page one. You’ll end on page one. You have to engage with page one. There is no point in looking ahead.

7. I find poetry.... in the bible and other spiritual works. I find poetry in doing yoga. Poetry isn’t always words on a page because half of poetry’s power is in what can’t be said or spoken. You feel something – you can’t express it. Poetry is about the frustration of being inarticulate.

8. The last time I heard poetry.... I wanted time to take it in. I’m not an audio learner (as the education/lingo people call it). I like to hear a poem three, four, five times. Then I can to appreciate, savour and remember it. Hearing poetry run by like a hurtling train frustrates me.
I feel as though I fall out of the train and can’t get back on again.

9. I think poetry is like an orange peel.