February 10: Waiting for Poetry

I just finished watching Il Postino:  The Postman in my film class about a half hour ago.  Now, I'm eating dinner, preparing to teach my poetry workshop tonight.  I'm in the mind of poetry.  I've actually been in that mind most of the day, even with that bad news about my car repair.

Tonight, we're going to talk about language poetry.  We're going to read some Rae Armantrout and Lyn Hejinian.  I am not a language poet.  Given the choice between Armantrout and William Stafford, I'll go with Stafford.  I like stories.  And I like poems that tell stories.  That is not a popular sentiment in modern poetry these days, but I have to be true to myself.

Be that as it may, I am going to try to get the members of my workshop to write language poetry tonight.  I'm not sure how successful I'm going to be.  Most people (myself included) are naturally inclined to string together words to communicate, not frustrate.  Somehow, I have to get my students to set that inclination aside for a couple hours.  It might be a little freeing.

Or it might be excruciating.

Saint Marty is willing to take that chance.

A great Valentine's Day movie