Unconscious Mutterings Week 454

You say and I think:

1. Fever pitch ::  (nothing comes to my mind instantly)
2. Unwarranted :: violence
3. Breaking :: News
4. Stars :: Twinkle
5. Thursday :: Child
6. Tips :: waitress
7. Recommend :: Realtor
8. Season :: greetings
9. Increased :: interest
10. Depressed :: market

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Confesson Tuesday Poetry Night Edition

Poetry Night Confession-

Dear Reader:

I just got in not long ago and I'm fulfilling my confessional obligation.  I met with the Northland poetry people tonight.  It's a long way from my home turn and the location is even further then it used to be but I left from work so the worst part of the drive was returning home. 

I've not been out an about a lot lately. That's not so much a confession as it is simply a fact.  Since I was experiencing one of those doubtful moments all writers have only days ago, I seriously thought about not going but my wife was staying late in town at here office so I figured what the heck.

One of my writing friends who I will call Pat ( her real name)  was all aglow having gone to Chicago the other day to hear W.S. Merwin do his poetry day reading.  I confess that I was majorly envious of Pat for having made the trip to the reading. I mean Merwin!  In my estimation he is among the Deans of American Poetry. As it was I brought a copy of Merwin's Migration to read from. This brings me to my next confession.

Pat asked to borrow my copy of Migration.  I confess that I've never been one to lend books often. I don't know why. I don't have a history of not having them returned.  I think it must stem from the fact that I have books that I read and reread often so it seems hard to separate myself from some of my favorites. At any rate, Pat asked and I actually let her barrow it. Knowing how excited she was about Merwin, as I write this I'm actually very glad I lent it out. Migration is chucked full of his work and she will be exposed to a lot of really awesome poetry.   Amen!

Textural Writing

One of the things I love about fall are the variations. Not only the variations in colors but textures as well. Perhaps this too is one of the reasons I love poetry or language in general. We have the ability to  deepen the mental picture of what we a saying by giving texture to it.

When I think of texture and poetry there are a variety of things that come to my mind.  One is the texture that develops one the page. White space / black space. Letters forming blocks or more jagged edges.

XXXXXXX
XXXXXXX
XXXXXXX
XXXXXXX


XXXX  XXXXX
XXXXXXX
XXXXX
XX
X        XXXXX
XXXXXXXX


Another aspect would be the flow of the sound when a poem is read. The rhythm, the intonation, organization of syllables, etc.

I've seen a poem in which a rosary is mentioned and the stanzas seem to be connected like decades of a rosary. The visual impact was impressive.

What are some of your favorite ways to incorporate texture in your poetry?

Unconscious Mutterings Week 453

You say and I think...

1. Quivering :: knees
2. Eclectic :: varied
3. Superimpose :: image
4. The best :: ever
5. Aches :: & pains
6. Vinyl :: covers
7. Hot and cold :: running
8. Girls :: mean
9. Wall :: paper
10. Baby :: doll

Get your own list here

Confession Tuesday... I have a Whale of a Confession!

I confess that I sometimes see things not as they are. There was the Public Service Announcement on a billboard with a woman hands on each of her cheeks (facial just to clarify) pushing them together with the heading that I thought said "Walk-in Screaming Mammograms!" Upon second look I realized it said "Wali-in Screening Mammograms."

So today I was looking at the sidebar on my blog to see who among those I regularly read might have a post new to me that I needed to check out. Two of my favorite blogs are Whale Sound and Very Like A Whale. These are both creations of Nic Sebastian. I read the following: I meant 'closed' not 'on hiatus' and it sounded like a fascinating name for a poem - already I'm thinking where I might take such a poem. Then the shock! I realized this was not a poem read aloud by the incredibly talented Nic Sebastian but rather a blog post on Very Like a Whale announcing the closure of Whale Sound.

This was a more serious laps in my understanding then the screaming mammograms because over the past year or so Nic has assembled a remarkable collection of poems in which she graced with her own voice by reading them. There are quite a few blogs that truly would miss if they disappeared of cyber space. I recently experienced the disappearance that left a big void in stimulating creative thoughts. This too is big! Fortunately, Nic has left us a marvelous archive of both spoken and written word. That we still have.

My Whale of a Confession is that Nic's reading of poems aloud is such a turn on. I don't mean sexually or anything like that, I just mean it has a quality that transcends any other voice reading poetry I've experianced. Oh there are others that can read exceptionally well. And often do their own work better than anyone else can... but Nic's transcendence carries over to other people's poetry.

What I like about it is the uniquely soft yet succinct diction. The tone is unmatched by most others. There is something about it that is so genuine. Even in soft volume it is so powerful and I believe the turn on is that she can deliver you right into the poem making you one with it.

When Nic asked if she could do one of my own poems and I agreed, I was less then enthusiastic  about the one selected. It was one that had been published a couple years back and you kind of move on from these things. After hearing Nic's read, it brought back all the excitement I  originally had with this poem.

I've subjected others in my household to Nic's recordings. My wife remarked how much better she liked Nic's rendition of my poem. My daughter Shannon likes to tease me reading poems in her best Nic Sebastian impersonation. She knows she can get a laugh out of me, but don't worry Nic, you are way safe.

There are particular poems that Nic's voice is especially well suited for. I would love to hear her read aloud many of Sylvia Plath's poem or Sharon Olds' work. But I digress. The point of this confession is simply to acknowledge what I saw as a very successful poetry project. One in which I'm sure her time spent was a personal sacrifice and had to have a labor of love aspect to it for her to do so many. And to acknowledge how much is lost with it's end. I don't think I'm along is feeling the loss.

Kind of funny and not so...

Books Reading and to Be Read

This past week was Natioal Banned Book week. An annual week in which the librarians call attention to the numerous books that for one reason or another groups of people think we ( others) ought not read. The list of banned books has grown over the years and two things that stand out about that list is that it contains many very profound works and they often actually become very well read.

I've blogged in the past on the narrow sightedness of parents, community activists and individuals who take it upon themselves to get this book or that kept out of a library or school. I'm not goint to spend a lot of time focusing on those issues here today.  I just wanted to mention in passing that I chose to select one such book - Lois Lowry's The Giver to start reading.  This is on of my daughter Meghan's favorite books.



Couple of other books that I am adding to my To Real List

• Meals to Die For by Brian Price
• The Art of Fielding by Chad Harbach
• Patina by Tess Kincaid