I don’t like poetry. I don’t get poetry. I don’t like writing poetry. I don’t like teaching poetry.
I like poetry about as much as my husband likes going to art museums. I clearly remember a couple art museum visits with Keith. I was so embarrassed when he loudly said, “oh look that lady has rosacea,” about a painting others were admiring. Then there was the time he mocked Grandma Moses’ paintings at a gallery in Vermont. “Hey, your grandpa paints better than Grandma Moses.” Don’t even take Keith near the “pop art” room with random sculptures.
It is a good thing there isn’t a museum of poetry. I would end up rolling my eyes too much. I would probably sigh and say, “Huh, I don’t get that.” Maybe I would walk quickly through the halls full of poetic words and not give them a second glance. I would probably even make some wise crack about the poem.
Yet this slice of life challenge is a bit like a museum with its own wing of poetry. I wasn’t looking for it. I would just click on slices. Oh, a poem, I would think. Since I was already there, I figured I should at least read the poem. And guess what? I appreciated the poems. I got them. I enjoyed them.
Then I would write a slice, post it and people would comment with “nice poem” or “beautiful poetry.”
What, a poem. I wrote a poem?” I skeptically wondered.
I would pull back up my own slice and glance over it quickly. Yes, it was a poem. I wrote a poem. I actually wrote a couple of them. Me, who can’t stand poetry. Who has only started to read more poems because of this challenge. I actually wrote and understood my own poem.
I might just like poetry a bit more than I thought.
But I’m still not taking Keith to an art museum again!
I’m glad that you are giving a poetry a chance. I see a poet inside of you waiting to come out! 🙂
Love this. I don’t like teaching poetry either–well, not the way I was taught to teach poetry. You just have to find what you like…
Glad you found poetry you liked.
Deb
Enjoyed the comparisons to your husbands behavior in museums! It added humor and made your feelings for poetry at the beginning of the challenge very clear. There is a man who teaches free writing classes at our local library from time to time. He is constantly commenting “What a great poem” when people share their writing. I love his view of poetry because I do see, hear, and feel poems everywhere.
That’s what a mentor text can do for you. You don’t even know that you are writing in that format until it is too late. The poetry seeps into your words and style. It’s very tricky, so be careful when writing, it might just be a poem hidden under that prose form.
Yay! So glad to hear poetry’s growing on you. I agree with Dana about the comparison–reminded me of my husband dozing during plays. Oh the nerve.
Ha! I love the twist. Had a similar experience – this month was a great way to get immersed in poetry when you lease expected it!
I don’t like poetry. I don’t get poetry. I don’t like writing poetry. I don’t like teaching poetry.
Do you like poetry? I am not sure. A fun slice.
This slice was like you were looking into my brain – right up until the line where you got the comments about your “nice poem”. I never got that comment. I still don’t like poetry. However, like you, I stumbled upon every poem slice possible this month, I am pretty sure. And, at the very least, I think I like poetry a little more than I did on February 29th. 🙂 Maybe there’s still hope for me?!?! 🙂