Sister, I'm A Poet

April, the proclaimed cruelest of the twelve months by T.S. Eliot in his monument "The Wasteland," with bulbous floral bodies amuck in cold wet earth, still dormant, is a seemingly appropriate and ideal period for the introspectives, the romantics, the lyrical, the tortured, the idealistic, to rally together and celebrate National Poetry Month. In honor of the occasion, for the past couple years, I have ambitiously undertaken the poetry challenge: writing a poem every single day for the month of April. Though this sounds to some like a rather minor and trivial feat, the true and serious writer knows this is much more difficult and trying, intellectually and psychologically. To put it in perspective, I believe last year I successfully completed twelve poems; this year, I am filled with endurance and want to fulfill the challenge. Besides, I will be joined in poetry action by my dear filmmaker; hopefully we can inspire one another. As Mr. Kenneth Koch alludes to in his collection, The Art of Love, writing a bad poem, and being cognizant of its faults and shortcomings, is exceedingly difficult, however, plowing through the mental and verbal detritus, the old decaying metaphors and imagery, pruning and preening, can be the best practice to find space for new growth.

Though I will not be featuring any of my poems here, in this specific forum, today I do share some of my poetic inspiration; coincidentally, many of the men who find themselves engaged and entangled with issues of verse, also don quite sharp suits and ties, albeit frequently quite haphazardly.

William Carlos Williams

(image taken from Sorry, That User Name is Taken)

e.e. cummings

(image taken from Dead Writers)

Kenneth Koch

(image taken from Rendaan, Contemporary Poetry of Iran)

Anne Carson

(image taken from Graeme Mitchell portfolio, and featured in NY Magazine)

Elizabeth Bishop

(image taken New York Times, Sunday Book Review)

Charles Simic

(image taken from Poetry Dispatch)

S.P. Morrissey

(image taken from Vintage by Robert Roope)