Poem found here: "Had She" by Elizabeth T. Gray Jr. What starts out as a hypothetical hyper-focused location poem, "Had she stayed / Had she stepped up / Into the train that carried them down" of a missed chance or opportunity turns into four lines that I don't understand. What kailāsaranashiva chandramoulīphanīndramātāmukutī zalālīkārunyasindhubhavadukhahārī thujavīnashambomajakonatārī Language in poetry is, as one can assume, the most important part in constructing poem. So when I encountered this the first time I guess three years ago my comment was "what the hell is this -- language." Something once familiar, or rather, something that the scenario brings is that when the reader feels the most comfortable and aware -- "Home through Rangoon and Vientiane," does the language make me feel less at home -- yes. Then why feel so distant or rather foreign. There's something metapoetic in the construction of the lines -- so precise is the l...
Formerly the RetailMFA, This is the Poetry Blog of Darrell Dela Cruz