“Do you know what a poem is?” “No, what?” I would say. “A piece of dust.”
Well that’s what one of the characters in The Bell Jar thinks about poetry. I thought it was perfect timing and wanted to participate in Cam’s poetry meme that’s been making the rounds.
The first poem I remember reading/hearing/reacting to was… The poems that first caught my attention were those of Shel Silverstein. I thought they were funny and a bit insane.
I was forced to memorize (name of poem) in school and… I don’t remember having to memorize any poems for school. We barely read any either in Junior High or High School.
I read/don’t read poetry because… I read poetry but feel like I have to be in the mood. Like, when I’m looking for answers to life’s greatest questions sort of mood.
A poem or poet I’m likely to think about when asked about a favorite is… Some of my favorite poets are Billy Collins, Sandra Cisneros, Pablo Neruda, and Mary Oliver.
I write/don’t write poetry, but… I started writing poetry a few years ago and even had several poems published in some small journals but I haven’t felt the longing to write it in a while.
My experience with reading poetry differs from my experience with reading other types of literature… I tend to zip through books but when it comes to poetry I slow down, meditate on the poem and come back to it again and again.
I find poetry… Beautiful. I love the idea of a few words or lines encompassing so much emotion and so many thoughts.
The last time I heard poetry…Too long ago. I used to go to monthly poetry readings and slams but haven’t gone in ages. I really need to remedy that soon.
I think poetry is like… A discovery. Sometimes there are hidden messages, and poems often have different meanings for different readers. That’s what’s great about poetry, each one of us discovers something new in a poem.
