I've been reading along slowly in Frost. The hallmark of my love of poetry is not that I see virtue in all poems or am in a constant state of swoon as I read them but rather that I'm willing to read so many that don't move me in the least in the search for ones I do enjoy. I'm bracing myself for a stretch of Frost poems that I expect will be an arduous journey. I'm at the end of selections from the first book and am headed into those of the second, nearly all of which are over 100 lines, many well over. I've never heard anyone tout Frosts long poems. Perhaps I'll be pleasantly surprised. Perhaps they're simply not known or widely read because their length makes them hard to anthologize. But I'm putting on my poetry parka and heavy books in fear of the worst.
The selections from A Boy's Will remained rather light and mostly dull. I enjoyed "A Tuft of Flowers" http://www.online-literature.com/frost/757/. I like the transformation of thinking in the poem from one of assumed isolation to assumed communion, and I like that the catalyst of such a transformation was a tuft of flowers unmowed, how it became a link between two people. And bravo that Frost accomplished the telling of this in rhymed couplets to emphasize the meaning.
I also enjoyed "A Line-storm Song" http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/a-line-storm-song/. It's a lovely love poem about ignoring the condition of the world and embracing anyway, reminding me much of one of my favorite love poems "Love is Enough" http://www.bartleby.com/101/801.html.
About Me
- JP Poetry Reader
- During a period of illness, I developed a habit of reading poetry every morning. Reading poetry was hardly new to me, having gotten my degree in English, but this was the first time I'd done so as a regular habit. I found it a gently stimulating way to begin my day. I felt the practice both uplifted and grounded me, sort of tuned me for the day. It was one of the few experiences from my illness that I wanted to preserve in my post-illness life. However, returning to work and rebuilding my life has had me functioning at the edge of my energy reserves and the practice of reading poetry in the morning got lost. Now my life has settled enough for me to recapture that practice. I approach poetry as an "average" person, as a scholar, and as a sometime writer of poetry. I read for pleasure but also as a craftsperson interested in learning from others. My responses vary from gut reactions and general impressions to comments on form. I hope by sharing I will bring to light poetry others may also enjoy and will hear others' opinions, but I confess this journal is primarily for my own benefit as a way to slow down and digest what I read.
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