I'm thinking of that line from Field of Dreams: "if you build it they will come." Will you? Well, we'll see, I guess! In any event, it occurred to me that it might be a good idea to create a kind of electronic parlor room, an overflow vestibule, where we might share and collect some thoughts, observations, and questions that elude the headlong rush of our fifty-minute class periods. No need to be formal, necessarily -- in fact, a dash of irreverence now and then would be a good thing, I'm sure!
I had meant to share with you, by the way, this poem by Billy Collins. There's some instructional value in here regarding waterskiing and feeling around for light switches:
Introduction to Poetry
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.
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"if you build it, they will come"
ReplyDeleteis that a biblical verse? i feel like it is.
Eric,
ReplyDeleteDid you write this poem? It's really refreshing. You should probably add something about a bird, though, or a lamb, or a tyger...
Just kidding.
Well, I don't know, maybe there's a biblical equivalent (something Noah would have been told maybe!), but I remember the line being from that Kevin Costner baseball movie, "Field of Dreams," which may be twenty years old by now! And, no, Claire, that's actually a Billy Collins poem; you're right, though, it does lack the requisite wildlife for our purposes :)
ReplyDeleteOk so Ive never blogged before. This is an Awesome poem. I just wonder how the poets would reflect on this poem?
ReplyDeleteAwesome poem! It makes me wonder what would the poets reflection be on this poem? If you build it they will come... is a good idea.
ReplyDeleteI joined! I'm glad I did. My tragic flaw in college is my inability to verbally articulate things. I can write them down perfectly fine...but when I try to say something in a class discussion, I get nervous and it kind of just falls flat on the floor. sigh.
ReplyDeleteWell, that was my flaw, too, in college, Robyn (or at least one of them; and maybe it still is, for all I know!). Anyway, I like to think we have a pretty open and sympathetic audience in the classroom for all manner of comments (and sometimes I know my contributions won't make much sense), so don't be too daunted! In any event, yeah, the blog is nice to have for shooting some ideas around ...
ReplyDeleteI joined yay :) So this caught my attention "I want them to waterski across the surface of a poem waving at the author's name on the shore" thats great imagery!! I think I like that stanza alot because I LOVE waterskiing! Very cool poem.
ReplyDelete