Tonight I saw a poetry reading at the Ann Arbor District Library and I absolutely loved it. First went a number of high school students who were SO impressive. I couldn’t believe how great their use of language was, how mature their content, and how powerful their individual voices were coming through in their writing. Most of their poems were extremely rhythmic and almost sounded a bit like rap music. I assume they were using aspects of beat poetry. It was exciting to hear and watch, and I was inspired by how capable and talented these young poets are. One boy, probably a few years younger than I am, really stuck out to me. He read a poem in which he was anticipating his mid life crisis. He spoke so maturely and with such confidence, I was envious of his courage.

Then two professional poets spoke: a local poet and a more renowned poet who came in for the occasion. The local poet was the head of the students’ group and it was clear he had a lot of influence over their styles. His poems too sounded like there was a rap beat behind them. Some of his poems I enjoyed more than others. I had trouble understanding his purpose behind a couple of them because they seemed more like a series of observations. That was common throughout all of the poems I heard tonight; they were in written language that was extremely simple and conversational. While we studied the evolution of poetry heading in this direction in class, I was surprised how extreme these poems were in their casual manner. The final poet was excellent. His work had a strong focus on race. I enjoyed the way his tone was serious but funny at times, allowing his powerful social messages to be easily taken in by his audience. I loved his poems and would definitely want to hear more in the future. 

Boring...

"Dream Song 14: Life, friends, is boring" by John Berryman is a clear example of his confessionalistic approach and his unique personal style. As representative of confessionalism, he openly admits his boredom in life. He acknowledges the many aspects of the world that people find incredible (the sky, the sea) and speaks of them as common as the readers and himself. He also admits to his audience that he "must have no inner resources," something his mother used to tell him is the case for those who confess they are bored. Additionally, Berryman brings Henry, his brainchild alter personality, into the poem to drive his message home further. He speaks of Henry's, "plights and gripes" as annoying and boring to him, yet consistent with Berrryman's use of Henry throughout his work, it is likely these are his own boring, "plights and gripes." The tone of the poem made me actually feel the boredom while reading it. Even though it is short, it seems to drag on and not serve any purpose other than to point out the boring parts of life. I don't really enjoy reading this poem, if anything it makes me feel a little bit down and negative towards the simple things that usually make me happy. But, I did find it...unique.

Berryman's language throughout the poem uses modernist technique. It is written in spoken language and is easy to read. The messages are clear and I didn't have to feel like I needed to dig or over-think the work. In this sense, I enjoyed the simplicity of the read. But, the combination of very common language and confessionalistic approach made the poem feel extremely -- boring. I assume this must have been his purpose?

Hughes purpose, and why a mother?

To me, the message in "Mother to Son" by Langston Hughes is relatively straightforward; a mother shares with her son that her life has been challenging in many ways, yet by moving forward she was able to make progress and face her obstacles even when her hope was nearly gone. Further, she encourages her son to do just the same, recognizing that his life will have many of the same challenges as her own. Hughes uses an extended metaphor throughout the entire poem comparing life to a staircase. Within the poem he uses smaller metaphors to represent the challenges in life, such as "boards torn up, And places with no carpet on the floor." I think this use of metaphor is important to show the extremity of the obstacles without actually stating them, keeping the work poetic yet portraying a social message as well.

The challenges the poem is referring to are those faced by African Americans during the Harlem Renaissance, leading up to the Civil Rights Movement. While it was clear why this message was important to Hughes, I am unsure why he chose to use a mother's perspective, as opposed to a father's. My curiosity led me to do some research on Hughes, and I read that he was never married and there were theories that he was homosexual. Although he never admitted this, his lack of a father-son relationship may have given him a neutral stand point in regards to children, making him just as comfortable writing from a mother's perspective as a fathers. This poem is uplifting and encouraging to any reader, but also is clear in its social message.

Is the fence really necessary?

When reading "Mending Wall" by Robert Frost two messages are apparent to me: the need for the wall to live as good neighbors and the fight nature has against the wall each year. Frost introduces the poem by explaining the latter, each year the wall has gaps and holes made by anything from hunters to the freezing of the ground beneath. It is clear that the natural surroundings of this wall are physically not accepting of it's presence. Nature rejects the wall by slowly and silently breaking it down to its original boulders. This aspect of the poem may serve to represent Frost's personal views  on tampering with nature by disapproving of disrupting the natural and creating things that shouldn't be there.

Frost describes the annual tradition of walking the length of the wall with his neighbor in order to mend the gaps. He does not see the point of the wall, especially where the properties are completely distinguished by type of tree and there is nothing to keep in or out. He questions his neighbor on the necessity of the wall. His neighbor's response is, "Good fences make good neighbors."This part of the poem completely varies form the theme of nature and introduces the ideas of privacy and trust. While neither man seems to have a conspicuous issue with the other, the neighbor hints that he is fond of the meaning and presence of the fence and would prefer to keep it as a physical barrier and symbol of their division. Instead of coming to agreements through good communication, the neighbor would rather avoid communication all together and leave out the opportunity for quarrel over property, privacy, etc. The narrator challenges this idea and his neighbor is reluctant, yet not argumentative. He coyly stands his ground continuing to mend the wall.

While this poem does talk about the power of nature, I think the real meaning comes from the neighbor and the importance of the wall to him. While the narrator of the poem is the one not supportive of the wall, it may be Frost's voice coming through the neighbor who believes in the concept of physical or symbolic boundaries between neighbors or even friends and loved ones. His point is accurate no doubt: issues can be avoided if there are no means for conflict to arise. But, is this the way to go about life -- creating barriers in order to leave no room for discussion? I don't think neighbors, friends, or anyone should not have to decide on terms of agreement or set boundaries unless they have things to keep psychically in or out (such as the cows Frost refers to). This poem left me uncertain whose side Frost is truly on: the narrator or the neighbor. 

My First Time

About two weeks ago I had my first poetry reading experience. I wasn't really sure what to expect, but I definitely wasn't expecting the small gallery on State Street to be completely decorated to feel like a dark cave. At first I was kind of, confused, but I ended up really appreciating the effect that the atmosphere had on the poetry listening experience. The cozy, dark setting was intimate and made the audience feel as if each and every one of us was a part of our overall experience.

The first poet that spoke was a young woman who's poems seemed to follow some sort of story line. She read monotonously; her work was not about the presentation at all, just her written words. While I found her work to be good, I liked the second poet much more. Even when he discussed serious topics the tone of his poems were calming. This was probably a result of his recurring themes of inner peace and harmony. He was very descriptive of nature, something I enjoy a lot in poetry. His poems did not follow as much of a story line, but the messages were always clear.

Overall, I enjoyed this reading a lot. I plan to attend another reading this Saturday (same place, same time) that is a part of the same series.