Fun With Poetry.

[yendi]

Elayna's poetry homework involves interviewing an adult and asking them what their favorite poem is.

I vacillated a lot, and almost went with Wendy Cope's "Making Cocoa for Kingsley Amis*." I ended up listing "The Lady's Dressing Room**," by Swift, instead.

I'm not sure which answer is likely to get her or me in more trouble, but it's sincere. Which isn't to take anything away from Lowell, Gluck, Jong, Plath, Dickinson, and that Shakespeare guy, of course (all of whom I'd rank above Swift and Cope in general). I just hate any attempt to make someone list one favorite anything. I don't have one favorite poem, book, album, TV show, movie, or one-eyed one-horned flying purple people eater.

Fortunately, her grandmother went with the more palatable "How do I love Thee?" And since Elayna only has to print and respond to one of the poems she gets as an answer, that's the one she's using. The fact that it's shorter than the Swift poem has nothing to do with it, I'm sure.

*It was a dream I had last week
And some kind of record seemed vital.
I knew it wouldn't be much of a poem
But I love the title.

**Which I've always thought was obviously a critique of the superficiality, hypocrisy, and ignorance of the male suitor, with a secondary swipe at the ludicrous hoops through which so many women jump for "beauty," but if you read it as misogyny, I can't stop you.

Comments

[emilytheslayer.livejournal.com]

THANK YOU. I am the same way, I hate picking favorite anythings. 1. Well, ok, this is the one I'm thinking about today. 2. You wouldn't ask parents to pick a favorite child, why do I have to pick a favorite book? There's things to love about each of them!

[ellyssian.livejournal.com]

And you didn't pick one of 'song's poems why?

I would have picked one of mine, or to be slightly more humble, one by one of my kids (whichever one didn't ask the question, to not get them in trouble? or whichever one did ask the question to boost them up a bit? =)

[jasmine-koran.livejournal.com]

I interpreted it your way. Love that poem.

[goblinpaladin.livejournal.com]

I hate listing 'favourite one' anythings as well.

When I get asked to pick a favourite poem, though, I go for Paradise Lost. That would have been mean in this case, I suppose.

[shadesong.livejournal.com]

And you didn't pick one of 'song's poems why?

That's what I said. Hmph.

(I picked Neil Gaman's "Instructions".)

[ellyssian.livejournal.com]

"Instructions" is a good one.

If they twisted my arm and made me choose something by "someone famous" (I could see my daughter getting irritated at my choices of works by family or friends), I might have to go with Fungi from Yuggoth (http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Fungi_from_Yuggoth). =)

[skitty.livejournal.com]

I just looked up the Swift poem and read it - it's marvelous!
I didn't interpret it as misogyny.

[kellirose1313.livejournal.com]

You know I love poems of all kinds but I actually have a favorite poem known immeidately upon asking. It's slightly silly to admit it, but I think it's the complete simplicity that makes me like it so much.

Shel Silverstein
Where the Sidewalk Ends
page 27 (yes I even remember the page#)

Listen to the Mustn't
Listen to the Mustn'ts, child, listen to the Don'ts.
Listen to the Shouldn'ts, the Impossibles, the Won'ts.
Listen to the Never Haves, then listen close to me.
Anything can happen, child, anything can be

[yendi]

Poems are weird things. I need at least a lot of time before I can really step back and view them in context. Calling 'song's poem from November one of my favorites is probably accurate, but until I've had more time to let it gestate, I can't see where I'd rank it yet.