I've had my ass handed to me so many times when I write about poetry that I'm a little gun-shy, but for some unknown reason, I've written a piece about Elizabeth Alexander's "Praise Song for the Day" over at The Rumpus. Here's a taste.As a poet, I appreciate the gesture made toward the arts when … Continue reading New Piece up at The Rumpus
I love Julia Alvarez
I've liked her poetry for a long while, but I especially love what she's done with the AP's request for an inaugural poem. I've written before about my problems with Frost's poem for Kennedy, and it shouldn't be a surprise that I wasn't alone. Alvarez voiced many of the same reservations, though in a far … Continue reading I love Julia Alvarez
W. D. Snodgrass, 1926-2009
W. D. Snodgrass died yesterday at his home in upstate New York. I can't say I know a lot of his work. I've only taught a poem or two of his in the past, but I can say that I recognize a bit of myself in his poem "April Inventory". I'm a bit older than … Continue reading W. D. Snodgrass, 1926-2009
Poetic Lives Online: Random Poetry Links
The following is a new feature I'll be doing every week for The Rumpus. I'll be cross-posting them here in the hopes that I might actually do some po-blogging of my own, instead of focusing so much on Incertus. Thanks to Stephen Elliott for giving me the shot.With the inauguration of Barack Obama swiftly approaching … Continue reading Poetic Lives Online: Random Poetry Links
Breaking radio silence
Two new publications to mention. My first ever accepted prose poem, "Pastoral," was taken by Quarterly West, and will appear next year, and I also had an acceptance from Center, a poem titled "Sedimentary." If they're available online, I'll be sure to post links to them. And now that both the semester and the election … Continue reading Breaking radio silence
The Road Less Travelled
Blogger Amanda Marcotte likes to write about a phenomenon she calls the "nice guy," a man who complains about how women like bad boys and don't like "nice guys" like him, and how he deserves sex with some hot chick just for not treating her like scum. There's a particularly funny post about it here. … Continue reading The Road Less Travelled
Something I’ve been working on lately.
Since I haven't posted in a while.Accord -after Stephen DunnMy car a chrysalis, metallic blue,patches of peeling clear-coat,home-tinted windows rollingat the edges, but mine, my sacredplace. I ate and drank there, parkedunder trees, windows down, keyon ACC so the tape player would take me to places too coolfor radio to know, bucket seat my La-Z-Boy. … Continue reading Something I’ve been working on lately.
How should we dream of this place without us?
That's the line from Richard Wilbur's "Advice to a Prophet" that really jumps out at me--line ten, just over a quarter of the way through the poem--and it stays with me through the end. I used this poem in my creative writing class this morning as an example for their next prompt (yes, I give … Continue reading How should we dream of this place without us?
Channel Firing
While "the glebe cow drooled" may be my favorite half-line of poetry ever (I exaggerate, but only a little), what I really love about Hardy's poem is the way he inserts humor into what is, at heart, a dark and dreary poem.After all, the theme of the poem is fairly well summed up by Parson … Continue reading Channel Firing
To Lucasta, About That War
Last week, as I was prepping for my current section of poems about war and politics this semester, I came across a poem by John Ciardi that I'd never seen before, the one this post is named for. It's a clear reference to Richard Lovelace's "To Lucasta, Going to the Wars," a fairly abstract piece … Continue reading To Lucasta, About That War
Another Poem to Love 