Two Poetry Reviews: with an Unconventional Possible Wedding Ceremony Poem

I am still practicing my recitation of a favorite poem by W.B. Yeats for you, and it may be some time, as I continue my reading of Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. 

I did drop the book accidentally on the ground on the sidewalk, but I learned this is a pocket book not the size to safely carry in a purse, during my spontaneous night bus ride. There was no damage, just a few nicks on the title and on Austen’s N…Jane Auste, Austay, sounds good too I’d found, and still shows the author’s full name. 

Between the Yeats and Austen, I contemplate this new idea I had about personal meaning, with contrast, as it connects to two plot points in the novel I am writing, about a treasured thing connected to main characters, and a new character that sprung from this by surprise. 

…

Here are two poetry reviews of books I’d recently read through that you may have some fun with:

Ring of Fire by Lisa Jarnot (2003)

This was a book picked by a poetry professor in college that I’d enjoyed then and kept. I had hoped a day would come when I comprehended it a little more. That day came yesterday and it is so good. Laugh aloud at times, very quotable, I loved it all, the kind of postmodern poetry that refreshes a reader and may suggest the idea of writing poetry to be even more appealing and interesting with these varieties.

…And now, an unconventional poem I’ve selected that could be read at a wedding: (credit: poetry foundation) 

Poem Beginning with a Line by Frank Lima

BY LISA JARNOT

And how terrific it is to write a radio poem
and how terrific it is to stand on the roof and
watch the stars go by and how terrific it is to be
misled inside a hallway, and how terrific it is
to be the hallway as it stands inside the house,
and how terrific it is, shaped like a telephone,
to be filled with scotch and stand out on the street,
and how terrific it is to see the stars inside the radios
and cows, and how terrific the cows are, crossing
at night, in their unjaundiced way and moving
through the moonlight, and how terrific the night is,
purveyor of the bells and distant planets, and how
terrific it is to write this poem as I sleep, to sleep
in distant planets in my mind and cross at night the
cows in hallways riding stars to radios at night, and
how terrific night you are, across the bridges, into
tunnels, into bars, and how terrific it is that you are
this too, the fields of planetary pull, terrific, living
on the Hudson, inside the months of spring, an
underwater crossing for the cows in dreams, terrific,
like the radios, the songs, the poem and the stars.


Young Poets Anthology from Rattle Magazine (2022)

When I got this poetry book in the mail a few months ago I thought, What’s this? I thought I ordered an October Anthology of poetry from Rattle, the name of this very popular literary magazine that has nothing to do with babies…But no error, I ordered it. 🙂

And “Rattle” with Young Readers (obv. not babies) felt a little strange to me but that passed. 

I loved the poetry, incredibly done, and a very inclusive collection, and the best haiku poem I’d read. I was first put off by the book design of the age of the poet in the corner of each poem as inviting cliched comments like “An 8 yr old wrote this? I am 56 and I couldn’t write it if I tried!! An 8 yr old! Woww!” 

But I realized after for safety the age should be listed as to protect the children with full names published, makes sense…So it is a very good collection and contains some great, imaginative and genuine free verse and form poetry, and it is easy to glance away from the corner if desired for the poetry.