DDCPoetry

Original poem reprinted online here: "The Garden" by Heather Winterer Originally read: February 24, 2013 More information about the Poet: Heather Winterer (Note: You have to scroll down a bit to find her), I'm a sucker for this type of poem -- an allusion to the "fall of man"  "Paradise Lost," "East of Eden," "The History of the World Part I."  My reason for liking interpretations of the "fall of man" is because there's so much potential to work with and it's interesting to see how each artist deals with the scene. The first paragraph I find somewhat hilarious due to the word choice and the phrase, "Never remembered Adam's name for the first giraffe."  "Mutability" is a funny word in a poem like this because of what's not being stated in a sense.  It would be easy to put down "evolve" here, but there's heavy connotations behind that word.  The usage of mutability brings a s...

Original poem reprinted online here: "They Promised Me A Thousand Years of Peace" by Lauren Shapiro Originally read: February 23, 2013 More information about the Poet: Lauren Shapiro As I was going over my notes, I noticed that I didn't reference the title how I usually would.  I do reference the title though as maybe alluding to something religious.  However, I don't reference who the "they" are or actually wonder who "they" represent.  Instead, past me focused on the "core" of the poem which is "defining nothing and the act of riddance."  I think past me came up with this conclusion through the last line of the poem, "See, you trip on yourself an exact number of times / each day, but who else is counting?" which I refer to as the "'crux is else' antagonizing the 'you' that believes." I can see the points, however,  after rereading this poem, I think math plays a big part in this poem.  Then ...

Original poem reprinted online here: "Westman Island" by Rebecca Farivar Originally read: February 22, 2013 More information about the Poet: Rebecca Farivar The poem works through breaks in the scene.  I wrote on my labels "fourth wall."  I think most poems (and fiction) have to play with the idea of the suspension of disbelief -- that the reader will follow along with the conceit of the poem (or story) until the end and gain something from the reading experience. So the lines that does creates this break, "Let me be clear / this is not a dream" initiates a sort of dilemma. 1) Should I take what the speaker says as the "truth" -- or the set up of a the unreliable narrator.  2) Why break the forth wall to confirm the poem is not a dream? I guess the answer to number 2 is that there should be a visceral sense about killing puffins or to let the reader know that the technique to killing puffins is real. Or maybe, rather than being emotionally vested...

Original poem reprinted online here: "Promenade" by Lorraine Doran Originally read: February 21, 2013 More information about the Poet: Lorraine Doran When I was reading this poem, I thought the definition of "Promenade" for this poem was "a ball."  Today, I went to check the definitions of promenade just to be sure.  The first definition, I feel also applies to this poem, "A leisurely walk, especially one taken in a public place as a social activity."  And so if this poem is the speaker walking through somewhere, that'd make sense. Because the people met on a walk don't make sense.  On the page, I tried to decipher every image and metaphor as they are connected to one another.  At least the tercets led me to believe that there's a consistent pattern going on.  What is consistent (if this is indeed a leisurely walk) is that the speaker is going in one direction describing scenes or superficially judging scenes -- there's no going b...

Original poem reprinted online here: "The Philosopher Savant Again Dreams of War" by Rustin Larson Originally read: February 20, 2013 More information about the Poet: Rustin Larson I can't believe I didn't catch it on my first read.  This poem is an Elizabethan Sonnet.  Does this change anything from the first read?  Well, not really.  I struggled with how this poem operates, and I wrote things like, "misconception when further inspected," but I didn't address what is further inspected or what the misconception is. Does knowing that this is a sonnet help me out as a reader.  Not entirely.  Yes, I know that there's going to be a volta somewhere, and there's going to be sections to think of; however, the style of this poem (white space, not entirely iambic, consistent rhyme scheme though) isn't the "typical" sonnet.  So, all I can take from the form, well is the form -- an expectation of a volta. The first four lines of the poem work ...

Original poem reprinted online here: "The Evil Key" by Sinéad Morrissey Originally read: February 4, 2013 More information about the Poet: Sinéad Morrissey "First reaction:  I have no idea what's going on in this poem, but I like it.  The tone of anger and cynacism is really good."  Okay, so looking at this poem again I can't help but think this poem goes a little over the top, starting with the title -- "The Evil Key."  I don't write this down in my first read (or subsequent others), but the title reminds me of a Noir title.  Anyway, I came away from today's read thinking, "I should take this poem seriously."  Even though there are elements in here that make me think this poem is a riff on back-cover pulps.  I'll get to those points. The poem opens up with a list that serves as a visual panning device for atmosphere, "In woods and lakes, car boots, freezers, huts, / in ministers' apartments."  Then there's t...

Original poem reprinted online here: "Syzygy" by Martin Ott Originally read: February 1, 2013 More information about the Poet: Martin Ott I didn't look up "Syzygy" when I read this the first time.   I thought the poet coined a word that is a riff on synergy which fits with the energy of the poem.  However, as I was searching for this link to this poem today, I decided why not check it out. Syzygy --  Literature / Poetry) (in classical prosody) a metrical unit of two feet.  So wouldn't be the basis of measurement in Poetry (how to measure spondees, dactyl, iambs, etc.) Here's a yahoo answer about how Syzygy is used in a poem (Phonetic and  Metrical) .  I still don't get it after reading this.  The poem itself doesn't scan conventionally.  However, when I look at the poem through this definition of Syzygy: Syzygy   -- (Astronomy) either of the two positions (conjunction or opposition) of a celestial body when sun, earth, and the body lie in a...

Original poem reprinted online here:  " Landscape After Years With Yourself," West Texas by Shamala Gallagher Originally read: January 25, 2013 More information about the Poet:  Shamala Gallagher, and Youtube video This poem to me is reminiscent of Gertrude Stein's style of repetition; however, I wouldn't put this poem squarely in the branch off of Gertrude Stein -- L=A=N=G=U=A=G=E poetry.   When I think of L=A=N=G=U=A=G=E poetry I think of early Lyn Hejinian and Charles Bernstein whose works tried to deconstruct the purpose and limits of language.  Of course, when times change so does meaning and poets. Why do I bring up L=A=N=G=U=A=G=E poetry in the first place.  Well, I feel this poem is in conversation with the past ethos of the style.  Well now I do actually. Past me looked at how the language is used in the poem what words were used and how the word was used.  For example, "heat" in the poem comes up six times in the poem -- four times "hea...

Original poem reprinted online here: "Zombie Preparedness Plan" by Mary Jo Firth Gillett Originally read: January 8, 2013 More information about the Poet:  Mary Jo Firth Gillett So there's always been the debate about poetry vs. prose.  The only thing I could add to that discussion is that I'd rather read this poem as a flash fiction piece than a poem.  I'm writing that it's a bad thing; rather, that there's a lot of information I would want to know about the speaker and the daughter and the poem doesn't quite encapsulate that for me. And past me agrees in the most harshest of ways, "Nothing is really added with these line breaks or description, very much like an article or a story. Then I thought to myself (after rereading this) I wondered why.  Over the past two months I noted certain poetry literary techniques like line breaks creating distortion in tone or emotion, rhyme scheme tying in themes, how images and descriptions overtake any sense of...

Original poem reprinted online here: "feeder" by Beth Bachmann Originally read: January 8, 2013  More information about the Poet: Beth Bachmann  After re-reading this poem, I thought why did I pick it?  It's a kind of strange feeling where I didn't see what was going on (this is before reading my notes).  I think it starts with the opening line, "The mouths of the dead are always / open" in which I comment "good first line."  I actually see it as meh right now.    It's not that the sentence is bad or cliche, it's the line break that comes in heavy handed like "expect a surprise -- right now". I do think the single line "open. Quit"  has linguistic implications.  Past me wrote, "The line by itself is interesting because it seems that the dead are saying this -- then the line break completes the line."  So I like the line for different reasons now.  I don't think the dead are saying "quit"  rather b...

Original poem reprinted online here: "Book of Hours" by Kimberly Johnson Originally read: January 4, 2013 More information about the Poet:  Kimberly Johnson So I've been procrastinating all day for this poem.  Why?  Even though I read this poem quite a lot of times, I still have a hard time initiating a discussion about it. It should be easy, right?  I have a lot of notes on the page, I have an entry way through word play or use of difficult words.  However, I really don't want to go this route, but, since I've been hesitating (and this is supposed to only take 15 minutes not the whole day) I should. Language is a tricky subject. I don't want to write, "well this poem has difficult words in it -- it add/takes away from the poem."  If I do that the entire message, techniques, images, etc. are washed out.  I will write this though -- in any poem or writing, there has to be a draw in for the reader to read or even look into the poem.  Every poem I ch...

Original poem reprinted online here: "In the Ear of Our Lord" by Brendan Constantine Originally read: January 4, 2013 More information about the Poet:  Brendan Constantine I had a different experience of the poem just right now.  And it's a like a "duh, I'm so stupid moment" for me.  Yeah, sure there's stuff I write about the content of the poem, you can take a look at the pic and find what I think of meaning; however, today is the first time I really sat down and read the poem out loud -- slowly. I, somewhat knowing my hymns and verses, and knowing some biblical verses, didn't pick up the way the poem sounds like a mash of various parts of the bible.  Now I don't know everything of the bible, but I know some things. The lines, "In the beginning was the whir / I thought you said & the whir / was good"  When I read it out loud today I saw that the lines are a riff of the first lines of Genesis (or whatever translation of Genesis -- ...

Original poem reprinted online here:  "Ornament" by Dore Kiesselbach Originally read: January 1, 2013 More information about the Poet: Dore Kiesselbach So I wrote this at the end of the poem, "The end is meh -- the over usage of '-ed' sounds.  The intro of a non-linear image -- it's a part that highlights 'I'm an epiphany pay attention to me' when the narration felt strong."  When reading this poem over again, I stumbled over the last three words "varnished / feathers shined."  It's a part where I had to slow down and reread the part, and maybe that's what the last three words supposed to do; however, I found the narration in the poem more intriguing and the last lines just jumbled. Fore example, I wrote about repetition, "I really like the repetition like this 'marks beside / marks' 1) It'd be too kitchy if the line ended there. 2) Since it keeps going the idea is strong but contrasts/confirms the sentiment...

Original poem reprinted online here: "Designated Driver" by Daniela Olszewska Originally read: December 30, 2012 More information about the Poet: Daniela Olszewska What makes this poem is the opening line for me.  I didn't catch this in my first reading or in my notes, but the shift from "you are" to "yr".  Yes, I know that "yr" is shorthand for "your" in this poem.  But it's more like a double take line on how to receive the sound and sight of words.  For example, if I only heard this poem, then I wouldn't know the difference, but since I'm reading the poem, I can see there's a difference visually. I also wrote down this: "yr = yer (in the head) yr = year (abb.) yr = your ('what it means')" At the time, I was trying to figure out other ways to look at the way "yr" is used because the style is so similar to the Black Mountain School and Robert Creeley (like the poem, " I Know a Man ...

Original poem reprinted online here: "A Prisoner of Things" by Alan Michael Parker Originally read: December 27, 2012 More information about the Poet: Alan Michael Parker The one thing I didn't write down in my notes was " anthropomorphism ." It's where things are given human attributes.  So the "things" here are given dialogue. The interesting thing about the poem is how the anthropomorphized  items have a "goal" and the speaker seems to be laying about. For example, the opening lines, "If only this novel were trashier: / if only the hour were true"  I think to believe the colon is used as a syntactical deductive (I don't know what colons are used for off the top of my head except the obvious) where there's a logical consequence.  If the novel was trashier then the hour would be true.  There's this waiting (maybe procrastination period). So the speaker projects goals onto things.  And with every goal there's so...

Original poem reprinted online here: "Albert the Pig Speaks" by Adam Day Originally read: December 21, 2012 More information about the Poet: Adam Day  On my copy, I write down that the author is "Albert Day."  I am wrong, again.  Anyway on to the poem. I admit that this is weird poem for me to read, and there's a part in the poem with this adjective/noun combination "pedrastic turtledoves" which makes sense on a logical level.  Okay no it doesn't, it's just a weird combination. Also I wrote this about the beginning, "This description is too good.  It's awkward but not so much that it's out of place"  and it's true.  The title of the poem is "Albert the Pig Speaks"  from the title I'm not looking at realism, I'm looking for a sense of surrealism and how it's worded. The play of language and colors is what I like about this color.  The word play  like "Stomach, flac soled, dropsical"  -- the t...

Original poem reprinted online here:  "Gremlin" by Karl Kirchwey Originally read: December 4, 2012 More information about the Poet: Karl Kirchwey At the very beginning of the poem there is a slight epigraph, " (The Twilight Zone reruns) "  and I wrote down "I wonder why the author specified here and not in the poem." The poem itself follows a pretty simple arc -- from a focus of the show, then to the personal, then to the show, then to the personal.  The shifts create a buffer and/or enhancement to the poignancy of either aspect (personal/show). The epigraph in the beginning is such a small part, yet, again my focus is mostly towards how the show impacts the speaker's life rather than any other mode like the the speaker's life, the history behind the show, etc. I follow the idea of the epigraph to the end, where incidentally enough the poem ends with a observation of the actual gremlin (show, man, myth, symbol).  Is it bad for me to write that this...

Original poem reprinted online here:  "A Servant, A Hanging, A Paper House" by Lucy Anderton Originally read: December 3, 2012 More information about the Poet:  Lucy Anderton  "It's the construction of the sentences, the flow of strangeness (in language, image, syntax, speed, and sounds) that attract me here." That's a lot to cover, but I'm thinking of the idea of adjectives in poetry.  I've been taught to be weary of adjectives and adverbs in poetry.  An image that might sound refreshing or has potential in a poem like "a bird waits" but can turn boring and cliche fast with the wrong adjective "a singing bird waits."  Not saying that "singing bird" is boring...yes, it is. Note: please don't use these adj./noun combination in a poem "blossoming heart," "joyous earth", "delicious morsel", "broken heart" -- these combinations are cliche. So here's some interesting adj./noun c...

This blog has been up for over two years, and I haven't updated it in a year. Why? Life happens after the MFA. I'm not writing about literary accomplishments or (the multitude) of literary failures. Rather life -- you know the things you experience in person than in a book so that you can write a book about your experiences you had in person. This is not an "I'm living my life" blog -- this blog is meant to set up something that I want to do. ------------- So after I "celebrated" my 30th birthday, I decided to read some poetry everyday for various reasons: 1) I wrote and read a little bit here and there the past couple of months leading up to my birthday -- mostly during the Summer. I didn't want to be distracted by video games while applying for jobs, and I didn't want to focus on how many employers ignored my resume -- so I turned to poetry. To be honest, I don't know why. 2) Retail places didn't hire me unfortunately, but I final...