Do we love-hate poetry?
"I prefer the absurdity of writing poems to the absurdity of not writing poems."
We are instinctively drawn to poetry. Our introduction to words is usually in the form of lullabies and rhymes and as children, we even grow into talking lyrically. As we grow older, we inadvertently develop this bitter-sweet relationship with poetry where we are almost embarrassed to even admit to like it. Even poets shy away from calling themselves just poets. As Marianne Moore says, “I too, dislike it: there are things that are important beyond all this fiddle.” What makes us so apprehensive of poetry as a medium? Is it the way we are taught it in school and asked to dissect and articulate what the poet seems to be saying, instead of just sitting with it and deriving the meaning that serves us best?
I’ve heard people say ‘poetry is scary’ or ‘it is too much’. Poetry asks questions, does that scare us as adults? It (sometimes) uses metaphors to describe our inner world, does that make it unapproachable? I think not. It is National Poetry Writing Month, and I have used this month to write poems daily for years now. But I decided to not do it this year. Yet, I ended up writing some in the tiny notepad I carry around. And guess where I wrote the most? In transit - in a cab, in a flight, in a bumpy auto even. All this is to say that poetry is something that comes to us, and we may feel we are too occupied with the world to pay heed to the lofty words and ideas of a poem, but we never are. Which reminds me of these powerful words by Bertolt Brecht:
In the dark times, will there also be singing?
Yes, there will also be singing
About the dark times.
Recommendations Corner
Fun (and sometimes offbeat) travel experiences, meaningful films, shows, books that I enjoyed as well as poetry that made its way to me.
Travel
April has been a month of spontaneity. I am writing this letter to you from my favourite place in Chennai - a charming old lodge (since 1951) in the bylanes of Triplicane. Of course, it is not the best time to be travelling to (humid) Chennai but I have not been making very wise choices this month. I was in Goa the week before this🥵 Hit me up for reccos (especially food) if you too are in the mood to make stupid travel choices this summer!
Read
Introduction to Poetry by Billy Collins
I ask them to take a poem
and hold it up to the light
like a color slide
or press an ear against its hive.
I say drop a mouse into a poem
and watch him probe his way out,
or walk inside the poem's room
and feel the walls for a light switch.
I want them to waterski
across the surface of a poem
waving at the author's name on the shore.
But all they want to do
is tie the poem to a chair with rope
and torture a confession out of it.
They begin beating it with a hose
to find out what it really means.
Watch
Since we are on the topic of poetry, I would like to recommend this one Jim Jarmusch film that really moved me. It’s called Paterson and Adam Driver as Paterson is a delight to watch. The cinematography is sheer beauty too. If you end up watching and loving it, please do tell me!
Also, I just booked my tickets to watch Guru Dutt’s Pyaasa on the big screen today. Check if it’s showing in your city too and catch that glorious movie in the theatres!
Wildflower of the day: Bloodroot
Bloodroot or Sanguinaria canadensis blooms in the months of March/April. This fragile Spring flower develops and rises from the centre of its curled leaf, opening in full sun, and closing at night. Like most members of the Poppy family, it lasts for a relatively short time. The red juice from the underground stem was used by Native Americans as a dye for baskets, clothing, and war paint, and as insect repellent. The generic name, from the Latin sanguinarius, means "bleeding."
Wishing you sea breeze, iced teas, and poetry 🌻
Love, Y