On Monday mornings, I come to the library by 9am with an iced vanilla latte in hand. For the first hour, it's normal to see me spending more time on Facebook then studying. I look through pictures from the weekend's events while talking to the people sitting around me. Today is different. I decided to sit alone, with my headphones in so people wouldn't distract me. Why? Well, I have found something that is almost as addicting as Facebook. It's pages are full of both inspiration and honesty. It's small size and intriguing cover artwork draw me in almost immediately.
What is this fantastic piece that I am raving about? Poetry Magazine
I just came across one while looking through the journals upstairs. One of the poems inside caught my eye instantly. Titled, "In the Loop", (http://www.poetryfoundation.org/archive/poem.html?id=238616) this poem talks about the Virginia Tech Shootings which took place almost three years ago. The poet, Bob Hicok, is a professor at VT which immediately gives the poem a sense of reality and rawness. The lines say so much about the horrible shootings and the effects they had on the VT community.
To say that this poem didn't inspire me would be a lie. My Professor has said over and over again to write about modern day things and not limit our poetry to the standards subjects of love, loss and pain. At first, the idea of writing about Jersey Shore, the devastation in Haiti or Facebook seemed childish. I've always thought poetry should be about your feelings, without any references to pop culture. This Virginia Tech poem proved me wrong. Hicok took a modern day event and made it personal. My goal? to do the same.
topics I wish to write about in the future: pamela anderson, MTV spring break, mcdonalds, OPI nailpolish, sorority life, grey's anatomy, uggs, starbucks, iphones/blackberry, runway fashion, perez hilton, twitter, jcrew, credit cards, vera bradley, trident gum and venice beach.
I think it's great that you're investigating Poetry, which is not only one of the, if not THE, leading poetry magazine in the country but which is published right here in Chicago. Perhaps if you want to investigate it and the Poetry Foundation in more detail you could even arrange to go down to their offices, perhaps conduct an interview or two.
ReplyDeletei wake to stretch open like a blooming flower
ReplyDeletenest step is to get in the shower
no lights needed cuz the sun is up
coffee fills my empty cup
i love my eggs in the morning
but im always on watch, the dog jumps without warning
i put my eggs on a plate
remmebering that the dogs still are in their crate
i check the time to make sure i wont be late
5 mins behind schedule, oh great
rush rush rush rush to to go
oh no
i still in a dressing gown
i run to my room and get dress with whatever is found
i put my shoes on last
as i get ready to run to class
class starts in 5 minutes time
and its poetry class and you gotta rhyme
to the downsideup cake