There's a certain poetry journal to which I subscribe that has been increasingly frustrating me. I won't name the journal. I admire its content and legacy, but lately it's been making me feel stupid and inadequate as a poet and poetry reader. One of the reasons I write about poetry is to show people how accessible it really is. Poetry should be enjoyable, no matter what emotion it evokes. It shouldn't be difficult to understand. Whether narrative or lyric, you should have an idea of what's going on. And yet, much of the poetry I read in this particular magazine makes no sense to me. In fact, it bores me. I can't follow a story or enjoy an image. It makes me wonder if I'm just dumb. Why can't I appreciate these poems, which I assume are supposed to be among the cream of the crop? But poetry, like anything, can be divided into many types and kinds. I like movies, but I don't like action movies. That doesn't mean there aren't good action movies out there, right?
Maybe I'm not stupid; maybe I just know what I like. But if I'm not stupid, I have to wonder if pretension in poetry serves a purpose. Is it okay to alienate the populace? I know it should be okay; science nerds and math junkies have their own clubs. I may be interested in these two subjects, but I could never follow a conversation between experts; however, I feel like poetry is different, maybe because nobody ever claims that science and math are irrelevant. We should be focusing on inclusion, not alienation. Ultimately, this is a silly meandering. There will always be snobby poets as much as there will always be excruciatingly bad poets. It all has its place, and I don't have to read it. I'm a glutton for punishment, though, so I will continue to read the obtuse poets, too, just until I begin to understand.
Maybe I'm not stupid; maybe I just know what I like. But if I'm not stupid, I have to wonder if pretension in poetry serves a purpose. Is it okay to alienate the populace? I know it should be okay; science nerds and math junkies have their own clubs. I may be interested in these two subjects, but I could never follow a conversation between experts; however, I feel like poetry is different, maybe because nobody ever claims that science and math are irrelevant. We should be focusing on inclusion, not alienation. Ultimately, this is a silly meandering. There will always be snobby poets as much as there will always be excruciatingly bad poets. It all has its place, and I don't have to read it. I'm a glutton for punishment, though, so I will continue to read the obtuse poets, too, just until I begin to understand.
I hate it when that happens. The other day someone on facebook posted a quote from Albert Einstein that said, "Everyone is a genius. But if you judge a fish on it's ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing it is stupid." I'm with you; poetry should not make anyone feel they're stupid. Poetry should be the universal accessible art.
ReplyDeleteWell said (to both you and Albert)!
ReplyDeleteIt's Emperor's New Clothes all over again - no one wants to speak to the question of meaning in case they are the only one not finding it there. Perhaps, I wonder as I doubt my self again, the intention was only the musicality of words, or maybe the poem is a metaphor for the dissonance and cacophony of our culture. But then - maybe not, maybe I don't understand poetry like I thought I did. Maybe poetry isn't what I thought it was. Does language have to convey or deliver meaning to bring about poetry? Can a collection of sounds be poetry? Just as language is fluid in accordance with its use, art is fluid as its edges spread. What is fundamental to art? Thoughts???
ReplyDeleteIf you enjoy it, and it feels like poetry to you, then it is poetry to you; however, I would argue that if the intention was only musicality, then the poem is missing half of its purpose. That's just my opinion. There are many schools of thought about poetry, and maybe you fall into one of the categories that I tend to shy away from. It's all good, though. It all has its place.
ReplyDelete