GreenishLady

Originally Blogging the Artist's Way. Thoughts, musings, experience of the 12-week course, January to March 2006. And after that?.... Life, creativity, writing. Where does it all meet? Here, perhaps.

Thursday, January 25, 2007

Poetry Thursday: Why I Love Poetry

Why I love Poetry

By Imelda Maguire (aka GreenishLady)

I love poetry
for the moose, for the fish,
for the terrible beauty,
the golden apples and the silver apples,
for the earthworms singing,
and the dead in their glass-bottom boats,
looking down at us.

I love it for the questions:
What am I going to do
with this one precious life?
And the promises:
I love how it makes me believe again,
and again that I am not alone.

Out there, souls found the words
for the heart’s ache and its joy,
dug them out with their squat pens,
scattered them on the page,
like this season’s first potatoes,
offered them. Offer them still.

I love the friendliness of poetry –
the way the poet expects me to see
what they mean. Like a friend would.
I love the trust in that. I love that
every poem is another hand, reaching,
warming. I love that it slowly softens the wax,
that it soothes.


That's this week's offering for Poetry Thursday, at which we were asked to say (in 153 words or less) why we love poetry. These are today's reasons. The ones that came to the top of my head - and excluding the title (because I am a good and co-operative person), my word-count is actually 153 words! Go and find out why other people love poetry HERE.

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A few hours later, I realise I meant to mention the list of poets referred to in the poem. They are Elizabeth Bishop, WB Yeats, Leland Bardwell, Billy Collins, Mary Oliver, Seamus Heaney and Primo Levi. I've never borrowed so freely before. Fun!

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18 Comments:

At 25/1/07 4:17 pm, Blogger writerwoman said...

My fovorite line was when you wrote that every poem is like a hand reaching, very true and yet I had never thought of it that way before now.

 
At 25/1/07 5:11 pm, Blogger richard pierce said...

I love it when you write "I love how it makes me believe again,
and again that I am not alone." That's important. BB

 
At 25/1/07 5:30 pm, Blogger Regina said...

Yes, poetry does make you feel like you're not alone. I think that's why poetry is so comforting on many different levels. This was really lovely, GreenishLady...

 
At 25/1/07 6:03 pm, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Wonderful poem! I particularly like the lines "...I love how it makes me believe again and again that I am not alone."

 
At 25/1/07 8:40 pm, Blogger Unknown said...

It's so great starting with the moose and ending with the wax - such solid surprising images - I totally get it, adn love this poem!

 
At 25/1/07 8:49 pm, Blogger Joyce Ellen Davis said...

A super listing that is itself poetry. THANKS.

 
At 25/1/07 9:16 pm, Blogger Julie said...

No better way to express your love than with a poem...perfect!

 
At 26/1/07 1:50 am, Anonymous Anonymous said...

I love this poem! Thanks. And I was glad you mentioned the poets, too.

 
At 26/1/07 2:19 am, Blogger Jessica said...

I love the movement from the apples to the earthworms in the first stanza. But my favorite is the question: What am I going to do with this one precious life? It's very true and I think we all try to answer that question when we write.

 
At 26/1/07 9:54 pm, Blogger Kay Cooke said...

What a stunner! MArvellous stuff - loved it. It hangstogether so well - the first stanza is my favourite. It blew me away, I had to float back down to earth again in order to read the rest.

 
At 26/1/07 10:47 pm, Blogger Leah said...

this is beautiful!!! love it.

 
At 27/1/07 10:33 am, Blogger Tinker said...

Loved THIS poem!

 
At 27/1/07 9:59 pm, Blogger Clockworkchris said...

Wow, lots of responces. First off thanks for visiting my page for Poetry Thursday this week. I read your poem, which I never thought about doing for this project, and thought it was amazing. My favorite lines were "I love the friendliness of poetry –
the way the poet expects me to see
what they mean. Like a friend would." That is what I am all about. Great job!

 
At 27/1/07 10:41 pm, Blogger Jon said...

These are great lines:

I love the friendliness of poetry –
the way the poet expects me to see
what they mean. Like a friend would.

I've never before considered how poets, as a group, speak to their readers differently than do fiction writers, and, now that you've made me take notice, I think you're absolutely right in characterizing it this way. Thanks!

 
At 30/1/07 6:57 am, Anonymous Anonymous said...

This is one of the most creative responses I read to this prompt. I love the different ways you approached why *you* love poetry,from your own heart and referencing other poets.

I've wanted to visit you before now but have needed to rotate which blogs I visit only due to lack of time! After all, we share "green" in our names. (Gel stands for "Green-Eyed Lady).
I put you in my feeds to I can easily return here and savor your writing.

 
At 31/8/07 8:54 pm, Blogger Tumblewords: said...

I'm glad I got here - your words open up a world of possibility. The final lines are superb!

 
At 3/9/07 3:00 am, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Wonderful--not only did I love this piece, it made me feel in love with poetry all over again! "the dead in their glass-bottom boats,
looking down at us"... lovely, even if it is about the dead!

 
At 7/10/07 1:33 pm, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Tiel Aisha Ansari and I, Mike McCulley, have created a 'poetry exchange' blog at Totally Optional Prompts , and you are invited to participate.

 

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