Rediscovering Poetry

When I came into the class on the first day and learned that the first thing we were going to study was poetry, I let out a loud groan in my mind. I didn't groan because I do not appreciate it, because I really do think it is an art and worth studying. The groan had to do with the fact that I find it difficult and almost all the poetry I have ever been exposed to has been the same - specific rhyme schemes, a certain number of lines per stanza, etc. While reading through the poetry packet provided for this class, however, I was reminded that there are many different types of poetry styles.

One example of a poetry style I came across that was not what I expected was the Harryette Mullen's "Dim Lady," the poem that is based on Sonnet 130 by Shakespeare. At first glance, the appearance alone is not something that is expected of a poem, because it is a block shape and looks more like a paragraph than a poem. Also, the poem does not have a "normal" rhyme scheme, which is more obvious with the non-traditional shape. Not only is the appearance of the poem a shock, but it is a comfort of sorts, because it makes it the poem have a more modern feel for me, which could be the point of its shape. The content of the poem is also modern ("honeybunch's peepers," "Red Lobster," "kisser," etc.), so adding in a paragraph shape helps the reader keep that feeling while just looking at it.

Another example of a poetry style I came across that was not what I expected was Susan Howe's poem from Singularities. Just glancing at the poem is enough to give someone a headache, because the words are, literally, all over the place. Yes, there are some straight lines, but that does not help with the understanding when lines overlap each other, are upside down, and some phrases are even completely broken up. There is even a stanza that is the same phrase ("Traverse canon night siege Constant firing") but one is flipped upside down. In all honesty, I have no idea what the poem is talking about, because just looking at it freaks me out, so sitting there trying to figure it out causes a lot of stress. Of course, for all I know, this could be the point of the appearance of the poem. From what I have learned in class, when a poem looks chaotic, there is always a logical and artistic reasoning behind it.

Rediscovering that poetry is diverse just like my ultimate love, Music, helps me in understand it a little more. Although it is still like a new language for someone who has not studied it much over the years, the appreciation is growing again, because it deserves it, just like music or a new language.

Chelsea Delaney