Introduction to Poetry

I'm not back, exactly, but I decided I wanted to have a project for April. It's National Poetry Month, an event that you can't help but be aware of if you listen to NPR. I have to confess that I have a complicated relationship with poetry. I despise the prententious, breathy way that poems tend to get read at Open Mic nights in a certain sort of coffeehouse. It's enough to turn me against the whole art form, but then I read or listen to something from someone like Billy Collins and my faith in poets is restored.

I idly toyed with the idea of writing a poem every day for the month. But I don't do windows or poetry, so that was right out. Then I found Poets.Org and spent way too much time stumbling around and rediscovering some of my favourite poems.

Why write something sub-par when I can share a great poem with you instead? Best to leave this poetry stuff to the professionals after all.

I selected today's poem especially to kick-off my project.

Introduction to Poetry

By Billy Collins

I ask them to take a poem
and hold it up to the light
like a color slide

or press an ear against its hive.

I say drop a mouse into a poem
and watch him probe his way out,

or walk inside the poem's room
and feel the walls for a light switch.

I want them to waterski
across the surface of a poem
waving at the author's name on the shore.

But all they want to do
is tie the poem to a chair with rope
and torture a confession out of it.

They begin beating it with a hose
to find out what it really means.