A good friend of mine, avid reader and retired librarian, reads the last page of every book before the first. As in, reads the end before the beginning. In poetry books, you might think that it doesn't matter which poem you read first. Sometimes, I randomly flip open an old book of poems to see where it lands. Yet, I think it is very important to read a book of poems in its entirety. There is often a narrative or thematic arc, especially if the book has a good editor. You get a sense of the book as a whole, with each poem fitting in neatly. You think, what would the book mean without this poem? It should be like removing a chapter from a novel. Wait, what happened?
That being said, I thought it would be fun to start reading the last poem of each new poetry book I read before beginning the book as a whole. I usually feel the last poem is the best and strongest and completes the book. Today, I began Given Sugar, Given Salt by Jane Hirshfield. The last poem is called "Metempsychosis." Right away, I think I might be missing something. Still, I read on.
I won't recite the poem here. You can look it up. I will say that it took my breath away. If I'm using cliches, you know I mean it. It felt like the end of a story, like I was missing the journey, yet it didn't matter somehow. It felt like everyone's story, like my story. It was abundant with possibility and that perfect balance of bitter and sweet that is the goal of all good poems.
Not a bad way to begin, ahem, I mean end a book of poems. We'll see how the rest goes, but for now, I am satisfied with Operation: The Last Poem.
That being said, I thought it would be fun to start reading the last poem of each new poetry book I read before beginning the book as a whole. I usually feel the last poem is the best and strongest and completes the book. Today, I began Given Sugar, Given Salt by Jane Hirshfield. The last poem is called "Metempsychosis." Right away, I think I might be missing something. Still, I read on.
I won't recite the poem here. You can look it up. I will say that it took my breath away. If I'm using cliches, you know I mean it. It felt like the end of a story, like I was missing the journey, yet it didn't matter somehow. It felt like everyone's story, like my story. It was abundant with possibility and that perfect balance of bitter and sweet that is the goal of all good poems.
Not a bad way to begin, ahem, I mean end a book of poems. We'll see how the rest goes, but for now, I am satisfied with Operation: The Last Poem.
Oh my, it drives me insane when people read an ending before reading the book. With poetry, I get it, but with fiction?? Sacrilegious!
ReplyDeleteI love Metempsychosis. Here are my two favorite parts:
"Yet even today, to look at a tree
and ask the story Who are you? is to be transformed."
and the end:
"I would like not minding, whatever travels my heart.
To follow it all the way into leaf-form, bark-furl, root-touch,
and then keep walking, unimaginably further."
Thanks for sharing!
Yes, very nice! Here's a bizarre and tingly twist to the story. I read the last poem and then intended to read from the beginning; however, as often happens with me, I peruse the titles under the contents first. I noticed there was a poem called "Happiness is Harder," so I decided to read that one before starting the book at the beginning. Guess what the poem says? "To read a book of poetry / back to front, / there is the cure for certain kinds of sadness." I was fluttery the rest of the day.
ReplyDeleteI like this blog post quite a bit because as a poet who has self-published since 1997 I most definitely pay attention to which poem comes first and last in my books, and also group poems for bursts of energy in the middle. However, I would never read the last page of a novel first. I'm tempted, but I resist. Nice blog.
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