Poetry
- A Poem’s Meaning
- Kooser and Marbles
- Kooser’s Column 162
- Kooser Column 161
- Favorite Poem
- Kooser Column 160
- It’s Here! Got a Poem?
- Kooser’s Column 158
- Poem in Your Pocket Day
- National Poetry Month
Posted by
Linda Sue Grimes
Linda Sue Grimes
Some readers, mostly students, young naïve readers, or beginning poetry readers, think that a poem can mean anything you want it to mean.
This Idea Defies All Reason
Can an article about potted plants mean cookbooks are colorful picture books? Can a song about spring mean fall is harvest time? Can the painting of Mona Lisa mean the fall of Icarus was a sad event? Can Hansberry’s play, A Raisin in the Sun, mean horses make the landscape more beautiful? Of course not. So how is it that a poem can mean anything you want it to?
If this claim were accurate, there would no need for more than one poem. If a poem can mean anything, then you can want it to mean something different each time you read it.
Hughes and Owen, the Same?
Langston Hughes’ poem, “Harlem: A Dream Deferred,” dramatizes through rhetorical questions the possible effects of having to postpone one’s aspirations, but what if you want it to dramatize a soldier's reaction to mustard gas during World War I?
You would be claiming that Hughes’ poem is the same as Wilfred Owen’s “Dulce et Decorum Est.”
Lazy Thinkers
Misunderstanding poems may begin in high school as some teachers abdicate the responsibility of teaching how poetry works, allowing students to believe anything they wish about the meaning of a poem.
It is much easier to let student believe what they want to believe than to challenge them and guide them to learn to think and reason based on actual evidence.
Unfortunately, this kind of lazy thinking does not apply only to the study of poetry, but I leave that problem to others. If you are one of those unfortunates who believes that poetry can mean anything you want it to mean, please take my free course in eight lessons on Understanding Poetry.
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Can an article about potted plants mean cookbooks are colorful picture books? Can a song about spring mean fall is harvest time? Can the painting of Mona Lisa mean the fall of Icarus was a sad event? Can Hansberry’s play, A Raisin in the Sun, mean horses make the landscape more beautiful? Of course not. So how is it that a poem can mean anything you want it to?
If this claim were accurate, there would no need for more than one poem. If a poem can mean anything, then you can want it to mean something different each time you read it.
Hughes and Owen, the Same?
Langston Hughes’ poem, “Harlem: A Dream Deferred,” dramatizes through rhetorical questions the possible effects of having to postpone one’s aspirations, but what if you want it to dramatize a soldier's reaction to mustard gas during World War I?
You would be claiming that Hughes’ poem is the same as Wilfred Owen’s “Dulce et Decorum Est.”
Lazy Thinkers
Misunderstanding poems may begin in high school as some teachers abdicate the responsibility of teaching how poetry works, allowing students to believe anything they wish about the meaning of a poem.
It is much easier to let student believe what they want to believe than to challenge them and guide them to learn to think and reason based on actual evidence.
Unfortunately, this kind of lazy thinking does not apply only to the study of poetry, but I leave that problem to others. If you are one of those unfortunates who believes that poetry can mean anything you want it to mean, please take my free course in eight lessons on Understanding Poetry.
*****
Posted by
Linda Sue Grimes
Linda Sue Grimes
Former US poet laureate features 12-year-old Max Mendelsohn’s “Ode to Marbles”; lest you suppose the former laureate is losing his, wait until you experience the poem.
About the poem, Kooser remarks: “I have always enjoyed poems that celebrate the small pleasures of life. Here Max Mendelsohn, age 12, of Weston, Massachusetts, tells us of the joy he finds in playing with marbles.
Here’s a teaser:
I love the sound of marbles
scattered on the worn wooden floor,
like children running away in a game of hide-and-seek.
I love the sight of white marbles . . .
The Success of Small Pleasures
The 12-year-old pulls it off. The poem is surprisingly refreshing. Of course, it is not terribly profound, but what can one expect in profundity from one so young?
As Kooser says, “celebrat[ing] the small pleasures of life” is enjoyable. And it is interesting as well as informative to see what a pre-adolescent boy finds worth celebrating.
The success of the poem results in no small part from the fact that the young poet is not straining too much to sound mature. The last line is a little wobbly, but overall, the poem is enjoyable.
To read the entire poem, please go to American Life in Poetry: Column 163.
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Here’s a teaser:
I love the sound of marbles
scattered on the worn wooden floor,
like children running away in a game of hide-and-seek.
I love the sight of white marbles . . .
The Success of Small Pleasures
The 12-year-old pulls it off. The poem is surprisingly refreshing. Of course, it is not terribly profound, but what can one expect in profundity from one so young?
As Kooser says, “celebrat[ing] the small pleasures of life” is enjoyable. And it is interesting as well as informative to see what a pre-adolescent boy finds worth celebrating.
The success of the poem results in no small part from the fact that the young poet is not straining too much to sound mature. The last line is a little wobbly, but overall, the poem is enjoyable.
To read the entire poem, please go to American Life in Poetry: Column 163.
*****
Posted by
Linda Sue Grimes
Linda Sue Grimes
Ted Kooser, U. S. Poet Laureate 2004-2006, features the best poetry to keep us updated on “American Life.”
The former poet laureate’s recent column features Massachusetts poet, Richard Hoffman’s “Summer Job.”
Kooser introduces the poem with the following comment: “Though at the time it may not occur to us to call it "mentoring," there's likely to be a good deal of that sort of thing going on, wanted or unwanted, whenever a young person works for someone older. Richard Hoffman of Massachusetts does a good job of portraying one of those teaching moments in this poem.”
A sampling from the poem:
"The trouble with intellectuals," Manny, my boss,
once told me, "is that they don't know nothing
till they can explain it to themselves. A guy like that,"
he said, "he gets to middle age--and by the way,
he gets there late . . .
To read the entire poem, please visit Column 162 at American Life in Poetry.
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Kooser introduces the poem with the following comment: “Though at the time it may not occur to us to call it "mentoring," there's likely to be a good deal of that sort of thing going on, wanted or unwanted, whenever a young person works for someone older. Richard Hoffman of Massachusetts does a good job of portraying one of those teaching moments in this poem.”
A sampling from the poem:
"The trouble with intellectuals," Manny, my boss,
once told me, "is that they don't know nothing
till they can explain it to themselves. A guy like that,"
he said, "he gets to middle age--and by the way,
he gets there late . . .
To read the entire poem, please visit Column 162 at American Life in Poetry.
*****
Posted by
Linda Sue Grimes
Linda Sue Grimes
In this column, Ted Kooser features a poem by the poet laureate of Kansas, Jonathan Holden, who is also the poet-in-residence at Kansas State University.
Kooser comments about the poem: “I may be a little sappy, but I think that almost everyone is doing the best he or she can, despite all sorts of obstacles. This poem by Jonathan Holden introduces us to a young car salesman, who is trying hard, perhaps too hard. Holden is the past poet laureate of Kansas and poet in residence at Kansas State University in Manhattan.”
The following lines are a sample from the poem “Car Showroom”:
Day after day, along with his placid
automobiles, that well-groomed
sallow young man had been waiting for
me, as in the cheerful, unchanging
weather of a billboard . . .
To read the entire poem, please go to American Life in Poetry: Column 161.
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The following lines are a sample from the poem “Car Showroom”:
Day after day, along with his placid
automobiles, that well-groomed
sallow young man had been waiting for
me, as in the cheerful, unchanging
weather of a billboard . . .
To read the entire poem, please go to American Life in Poetry: Column 161.
*****
Posted by
Linda Sue Grimes
Linda Sue Grimes
Results of the “Favorite Dickinson Poem” poll were somewhat surprising.
The question was, “Of the following, which poem by Emily Dickinson do you most admire?” With the choices as follows: “A Bird came down the Walk,” “I heard a Fly buzz,” “Because I could not stop for Death,” “I taste a liquor never brewed,” and “Success is counted sweetest.”
Big Winner
The big winner is “Because I could not stop for Death,” which received 75% of the votes. Runners-up were “I heard a Fly buzz” and “Success is counted sweetest”—each equally splitting the remaining 25%.
I was surprised that one of Dickinson’s death poems would receive the most votes; it is, however, a magnificent poem that does inspire because of its emphasis on “immortality.” This poem is widely anthologized and therefore probably quite recognizable.
Getting Acquainted with Poems
All of the poems are wonderful, and if you wish to become better acquainted with them, please check out the following articles right here at Suite Poetry:
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Big Winner
The big winner is “Because I could not stop for Death,” which received 75% of the votes. Runners-up were “I heard a Fly buzz” and “Success is counted sweetest”—each equally splitting the remaining 25%.
I was surprised that one of Dickinson’s death poems would receive the most votes; it is, however, a magnificent poem that does inspire because of its emphasis on “immortality.” This poem is widely anthologized and therefore probably quite recognizable.
Getting Acquainted with Poems
All of the poems are wonderful, and if you wish to become better acquainted with them, please check out the following articles right here at Suite Poetry:
- A Bird came down the Walk: “A Bird came down the Walk”: Dickinson’s Frightened Beads
- I heard a Fly buzz: Dickinson’s “I heard a Fly buzz”: Mystical Adeptness
- Because I could not stop for Death: Looking Back from Eternity: Dickinson’s “Because I could not stop for Death”
- I taste a liquor never brewed: Dickinson’s Spiritual Intoxication: “I taste a liquor never brewed”
- Success is counted sweetest: “Success is counted sweetest”: A Loser’s Comprehension
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Posted by
Linda Sue Grimes
Linda Sue Grimes
Ted Kooser’s column remains somewhat cagey this week. He makes us wonder what he might have guessed about the feature poem.
Kooser most recent column features Steve Orlen’s “Three Teenage Girls: 1956.” Orlen is a poet from Arizona.
About the poem, former poet laureate Kooser comments: “I've mentioned how important close observation is in composing a vivid poem. In this scene by Arizona poet, Steve Orlen, the details not only help us to see the girls clearly, but the last detail is loaded with suggestion. The poem closes with the car door shutting, and we readers are shut out of what will happen, though we can guess.”
I wish Kooser had told us his guesses. To sample the poem, please consider the following lines:
Three teenage girls in tight red sleeveless blouses and black Capri pants
And colorful headscarves secured in a knot to their chins
Are walking down the hill, chatting, laughing,
Cupping their cigarettes against the light rain
The first thing I wonder about: why are three teenage girls dressed exactly alike? It strains the credibility of the poet’s observation, unless later in the poem we learn why.
To read the entire poem, please go to American Life in Poetry: Column 160.
*****
About the poem, former poet laureate Kooser comments: “I've mentioned how important close observation is in composing a vivid poem. In this scene by Arizona poet, Steve Orlen, the details not only help us to see the girls clearly, but the last detail is loaded with suggestion. The poem closes with the car door shutting, and we readers are shut out of what will happen, though we can guess.”
I wish Kooser had told us his guesses. To sample the poem, please consider the following lines:
Three teenage girls in tight red sleeveless blouses and black Capri pants
And colorful headscarves secured in a knot to their chins
Are walking down the hill, chatting, laughing,
Cupping their cigarettes against the light rain
The first thing I wonder about: why are three teenage girls dressed exactly alike? It strains the credibility of the poet’s observation, unless later in the poem we learn why.
To read the entire poem, please go to American Life in Poetry: Column 160.
*****
Posted by
Linda Sue Grimes
Linda Sue Grimes
It’s April 17, 2008, and Academy of American Poets has designated today, “Poem in Your Pocket Day.”
Celebrating Poetry Month
Remember to carry your favorite poem in your pocket and at opportune times, haul it out, and read it to family members, friends, co-workers at the water fountain.
Lunchtime would be a great time to enlighten your buddies with poems. Have fun exchanging poems and thoughts about them. I recommend you carry several poems; you never know what kind of extended interest you might elicit.
Reading and Polling
Another way to celebrate poetry, of course, is to read about poetry right here at Poetry on the Suite. Plus, become even more active by taking the current poll, located just below the blog on the homepage.
For more info about this happy day in April National Poetry Month, please see Poem in Your Pocket Day: Celebrating Poetry.
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Remember to carry your favorite poem in your pocket and at opportune times, haul it out, and read it to family members, friends, co-workers at the water fountain.
Lunchtime would be a great time to enlighten your buddies with poems. Have fun exchanging poems and thoughts about them. I recommend you carry several poems; you never know what kind of extended interest you might elicit.
Reading and Polling
Another way to celebrate poetry, of course, is to read about poetry right here at Poetry on the Suite. Plus, become even more active by taking the current poll, located just below the blog on the homepage.
For more info about this happy day in April National Poetry Month, please see Poem in Your Pocket Day: Celebrating Poetry.
*****
Posted by
Linda Sue Grimes
Linda Sue Grimes
Ted Kooser, U. S. Poet Laureate 2004-2006, keeps us updated in the best poetry that he deems representative of “American Life.”
Kooser most recent column features Frank Steele’s “Part of a Legacy.”
Here is what Kooser has to say in his introductory comment about Steele’s poem: “Putting bed pillows onto the grass to freshen, it's a pretty humble subject for a poem, but look how Kentucky poet, Frank Steele, deftly uses a sun-warmed pillow to bring back the comfort and security of childhood.”
And here is a teaser from the poem:
I take pillows outdoors to sun them
as my mother did. "Keeps bedding fresh,"
she said. It was April then, too—
buttercups fluffing their frail sails,
one striped bee humming grudges, a crinkle
To finish reading the poem, please visit Column 158 at American Life in Poetry.
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Here is what Kooser has to say in his introductory comment about Steele’s poem: “Putting bed pillows onto the grass to freshen, it's a pretty humble subject for a poem, but look how Kentucky poet, Frank Steele, deftly uses a sun-warmed pillow to bring back the comfort and security of childhood.”
And here is a teaser from the poem:
I take pillows outdoors to sun them
as my mother did. "Keeps bedding fresh,"
she said. It was April then, too—
buttercups fluffing their frail sails,
one striped bee humming grudges, a crinkle
To finish reading the poem, please visit Column 158 at American Life in Poetry.
*****
Posted by
Linda Sue Grimes
Linda Sue Grimes
Celebrating poetry month is as easy as carrying your favorite poem in your pocket.
The Academy of American Poets is offering a simple way to celebrate April—National Poetry Month. The group’s Web site encourages you to select your favorite poem, make a copy of it, and carry it in your pocket.
On April 17, at appropriate times, they suggest you take out the poem and read it to family, friends, or co-workers.
The organization also encourages poetry lovers to start your projects. On their Web site, they explain: “In this age of mechanical and digital reproduction, it's easy to carry a poem, share a poem, or start your own PIYP day event.” They list ideas to help get you started:
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On April 17, at appropriate times, they suggest you take out the poem and read it to family, friends, or co-workers.
The organization also encourages poetry lovers to start your projects. On their Web site, they explain: “In this age of mechanical and digital reproduction, it's easy to carry a poem, share a poem, or start your own PIYP day event.” They list ideas to help get you started:
- Start a "poems for pockets" give-a-way in your school or workplace
- Urge local businesses to offer discounts for those carrying poems
- Post pocket-sized verses in public places
- Handwrite some lines on the back of your business cards
- Start a street team to pass out poems in your community
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Posted by
Linda Sue Grimes
Linda Sue Grimes
In 1996, April became National Poetry Month when the Academy of American Poets decided to try to spread poetry to a wider than usual audience.
To learn all there is to know about National Poetry Month, please visit the site where it all began: National Poetry Month at Poets.org. Features include the history of National Poetry Month, This Year's Programs, National Event s and Celebrations.
You can even order posters that celebrate poetry.
Every month is poetry month here at Suite Poetry. So please visit often, and thank you for all of your visits in the past.
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You can even order posters that celebrate poetry.
Every month is poetry month here at Suite Poetry. So please visit often, and thank you for all of your visits in the past.
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