Poetry Pressure

For some reason (perhaps because I am neurotic), I've been meditating on a conversation I had about five years ago with an older gentleman concerning poetry. The conversation went something like this:

Gentleman: I looked at that poetry site of yours.

Me: Oh, yeah?

Gentleman: I didn't get it.

Me: Oh. Um, okay.

Gentleman: What makes a poem, anyway? Shouldn't they rhyme?

Me: Um [flustered], well, you see...

What followed was my embarrassing attempt to define poetry, stuff about line breaks and rhythm, about how a poem is like a photograph or painting, how it should paint a picture or evoke an emotion, how grammar is not so important, how rhyming poems suck. What I should have said is:

Me: There's nothing to get. It either resonates with you or doesn't. Maybe you should read some other types of poems before writing poetry off forever. Or not. Whatever feels right to you.

This hole "pin a poem down like a wiggling pig" thing frustrates me. If you've studied poetry, you know about styles and forms and techniques. You can recognize good writing from bad. But you should also know that in the end, what matters most is your reaction and tastes. Personally, I loathe experimental poetry, can't stand weird indentations that play with the visual spacing on the page, dislike anything seeking shock value or vulgarity, am not so cool with rhyme. These are my preferences. If I only read the stuff I don't like, I wouldn't get poetry either. Nobody likes every novel they read.

So, broaden your poetry horizons. Stop putting pressure on yourself to analyze a poem or stuff it into some academic box. You'll find there's a lot of stuff to like.

Resolutions 2013

Happy New Year! You know what that means. Resolution time. This year, one of my many goals is to read a poem every single day. 365 poems in 2013, at the least. This may seem like a ridiculously easy goal. Don't underestimate the power of laziness. Although I subscribe to two poem-a-day emails, my favorites tool-bar is a row of poetry websites that are only a click away, and my house is littered with old and new poetry books, I go days, sometimes weeks, without reading poetry. Just because you love something doesn't make you faithful. Loyalty requires hard work and determination.

Sometimes I sit down with a poetry book and read it cover to cover, like a greedy child hording candy bars. The satisfaction is short-lived. I feel real good for an hour or so, and then I can't remember the pleasure of what I just shoved into my body. I don't savor things. Maybe my resolution should be to savor every part of my life, and maybe I'll work on that. For now, let's focus on poetry. Not only will I read at least a poem a day, but I'll actually ponder the poem without rushing, without just thinking Oh, that sounds lovely; I wish I had time to think about what it means.

Today is Day 1. Wish me luck. My bookmark tells me we're beginning our journey with "After Apple Picking" by Robert Frost. Beginning anything with Mr. Frost is the way to go, methinks.