Life is Beautiful by Dorianne Laux (
from Smoke, published by BOA Editions, 2000
The remainder of the poems: They come from the Anthology edited by Robert Pinsky
The Mind has Cliffs of Fall
Creekthroat by Atsuro Riley
Failure by Philip Schultz
To “yes” by Kenneth Koch
'No worst, there is none. Pitched past pitch of grief.' by Gerard Manley Hopkins
Nutshell notes:
Dorianne Laux: Jan asked why such a long poem. I remember in my MFA, both she and Ellen Bass would encourage us to keep “turning over another card”. One starts with observations, that link to implications, and before you know it, the imagination is at work tapping into a stream of consciousness (to steal some of John and David’s words). We noticed the almost end-rhymes,
the rich language, the unusual phrases such as “bag of fecund jewels” the challenge to our idea of “beautiful” to include the ooze, scree, pungence, of perhaps not quite “medical grade maggots” writhingly at work — the reverence for all of life side by side with what we might squeamishly relegate to “disgustingness”. Hurray for the “clean up crew” of flies!
John shares : My favorite Larsen one is from a collection of "uncensored" ones. Mr. and Mrs. Housefly are in the usual house, she's in the usual flowered dress, and she's saying "I'm leaving you, Fred, and I'm taking the maggots with me!”
Atsuro Riley: For more Atsuro Riley: Links to poems in Romey’s Order : https://atsuroriley.bandcamp.com/releases
Creekthroat — both the creek.., and the voice of poet as speaker. Unusual vocabulary — and the desire to translate into familiar expressions/words (ex. by hook or by crook, instead of by hook or by bent…) What is it we are hungry for? we guttle the rudimentary stories… ask to be slaked by “radicle stories” — with its homophonic overtone of “radical”. Gollum-like in feel,
unleashed primeval appetites.
Bravo for everyone sticking with this poem, and arriving at a place of appreciation!
David S. told the story of Robert Frost citing a passage from Finnegan’s Wake when people would tell him one of his poems was obscure. (David, I need your words — how even though at first he didn’t understand it, it grew on him…). Others have said — Brilliant wordplay, irony, satire, alliteration, rhyme, assonance, consonance, nonce, spoonerisms, and so on…but I have absolutely no idea what it was about"
The group did well to both appreciate the craft, find a treasure trove of possible associations and meanings.
Thank you Barb. for finding reference to Elizabeth Bishop, At the Fishhouses https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/52192/at-the-fishhouses
Schultz: What is success? Failure? How do we project ourselves onto our perceptions of others! Schultz gently angles into a tribute to his father, allowing the reader to enjoy the
comical “particularities”, of “failed businesses” and a list of things his father didn’t believe in. The contrast of the shameful labeling of the Rabbi reminded Susan of a real story: A rabbi instead of celebrating the young girl who wanted to be Bat-Mitzvah’d and did a spectacular job, pointed a disapproving finger at her parents— that she was successful despite them." Many commented on the closing lines — he “failed to get away” — from the disapproving family, from the fault of projecting failure onto others, to differentiate, or to leave his father’s imprint…
It’s a poem that reminds us to “re-embrace” perhaps a father once rejected.
Koch: Have you heard of the triumvirate that accompanies a question? Koch with his inimitable humor plays with “yes” as main character, with echoes of the team members, “No” and “maybe”. Well… we all know the answer to the general question about death… but do want that reassurance that it is “not yet” — later than now.
He rescues “state of peace” from cliché… the “shall I” use of “yes” seeking confirmation. I feel lighthearted reading the last two words. (no reply)
Manley Hopkins
We discussed at length the power of craft — how by being able to wield it, acts as counterfoil to the terrible leap “Pitched past pitch of grief”. Whether or not you feel that his embrace of language with dazzling skill “saves” him from despair, the fact is, the poem does exist, some might argue , as if to prove one is , while alive, indeed, alive.
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