Poetry

This isn't going to be profound, but I've just been poked by a certain 'anonymous' person, whose identity I do in fact know, about there not being a recent new post. The pressure! I must try to work in regular blocks of writing each day - as a prospective freelancer, I should just be in the habit, right? Unfortunately the two part time jobs, the school application, job hunting and laundry are getting in the way of what I really want to spend my day doing: writing.

So, because I had an interesting conversation at work about poetry, with a coworker who has translated English verse into Persian, today's contribution to the Lighthouse will be about poetry.

First of all, it's a real shame that poetry is approached in such a way in our schools that kids have a fear of it. Really, Wordsworth is just: Jack be nimble [nimber*], Jack be quick; Jack jumped over a candle stick -- but a little more grown-up. Children instinctively enjoy rhymes, catchy rhythms, and silly nonsense. Even grown-up poetry can offer those things.

The nice thing about a lot of poetry, is that it relaxes your mind, like prayer. It can speak to you at a deeper level of consciousness where words don't even really matter - the heart just understands the meaning.

Poetry allows for individual interpretation; it leaves room for the reader to bring his own experience and knowledge to the reading.

I enjoy poetry because I can dip into it, and savour it. One well-written poem can have the emotional impact of a full-length novel. I carry the effects of it with me through the day, and when I crawl into bed at night, I can read it again in just a few minutes, and get something entirely different from it, because at the end of the day, I have new experiences, new ideas to apply to my understanding of it.

Regrettably I don't have the capacity to memorize poems. I wish I had them stored in my memory bank to pull out at will. What a resource that would be! I once taught a group of children to memorize and perform The Walrus and the Carpenter, but after the first two lines, I lose track of it...and I heard it many many times in those few weeks! (Ironically, I have the lyrics to many inane rocks songs filed and alphabetized in my mind for easy retrieval. Even from 20 years ago.)

One cute little poem I do know by heart, is from The Great Gatsby:

Then wear the gold hat, if that will win her
And if you can bounce high, bounce high for her too

Till she cry Lover! Gold hatted, high bouncing lover!

I must have you!


Here's Pippa's song, by Robert Browning. You probably know the last two lines, and didn't realize where they came from:
The year's at the spring
And day's at the morn
Morning's at seven
The hillside's dew-pearled
The lark's on the wing
The snail's on the thorn
God's in His heaven -
All's right with the world!

And finally, from my favourite, John Donne, is this little bit from Love's Growth:
I scarce believe my love to be so pure
As I had thought it was,
Because it doth endure
Vicissitude, and season, as the grass;
Me thinks I lied all winter, when I swore,
My love was infinite, if spring maked it more.

Don't worry about figuring out the meaning...just let the words slowly sink into you. Enjoy!

*long story - ask Fr. Ad