Where I get my poetry fix
Last night, on the bus ride into downtown, I found myself trying to surrepticiously read a poem in the magazine of the woman ahead of me- the font and style of the magazine reminded me of Atlantic Monthly, though who knows what it was. I imagined what it’d be like, to not be able to read poetry, if it were somehow rare or only for people of a certain income or of a certain race or status or something. Trying to subtly read this poem about a dog playing fetch over the shoulder of the woman in front of me made me think about how much more poetry I read these days, and how hard it would be to wean myself off of that.
Still more prose, honestly, but just like spoken word, poetry has squeezed its way under my skin. Though I abandoned my livejournal about four months ago, I still read others’ entries, including a journal that reposts poems by famous poets. The person who picks the poems has amazing taste in spite of being quite young, and sometimes they just shake me. I read slam poems posted by friends on facebook, but very little aside of those two sources. There are some poets I love dearly, and will occasionally seek out books of their works. I have a strange love of first readings of books and poems, and ration out books by authors who are dead, so that I may have more first readings throughout my lifetime. I also like anthologies sometimes, as ways to introduce oneself to poets you hadn’t read before…
The poems over on livejournal recently have been soul-shaking recently, and I thought I’d share some of my favorites.
Grammar
Dear Man Whose Marriage I Wrecked
he said: you talk a wide variety of nowhere
Try to Love the World
For a Student Sleeping in a Poetry Workshop
Breaking Up Is Hard to Do
For My Lover, Returning to His Wife
Safe Sex
Little did I know, my favorite poems are about love and sex. I suppose, aside of eating and sleeping, those are some of the main parts of life.
This site is well thought out and well worth reading of the millions of poetry aspect postings out their. I enjoy the author’s approach in expressing her heart to others, without pretenses to others. Individuals who deal in honest, heart-felt emotions in this day and age, are becoming more difficult to find each day.
John J. Rigo
Author and Publisher
“Amidst Series of Poetry Books”