Take the I Out by Sharon Olds
“Someday I’ll Love Roger Reeves” by Roger Reeves
Eve Remembering by Toni Morrison - 1931-2019
Asi by Claudia Castro Luna
Tending by Elizabeth Alexander
Virtual Living At its Very Best — Steve Coffman
Comments shared with 5/12 group:
Sharon Olds: How to read "I" in line 22-- ? I or "one" to continue the idea of Roman number I.
Jim found a perfect solution reading both! We noted the alliterations, the technical terms for construction-and feats of association! Discussion included the metaphor of Sharon as "I beam" between mother and father, the surprising undertones of conflict.
Roger Reeves: I read aloud the 7-line O'Hara poem, "Katy" which has has the prompt in line 6:
"Some day I’ll love Frank O’Hara." What a lineage for a continuing conversation with Roger Reeves, Ocean Vuong and Dean Radar... Although we did not discuss each one, it is fun to compare and contrast.
For Reeves, the repeated "our" brings up the struggle we all face on understanding love. David brought up the message of Paul in Corinthians, about our desire to be known and accepted -- which does not happen without a lot of pain. The lower g "gods" the obligations, on up to speaking "with tongues light as
screen doors clapping shut on a child's fingers"... back to two more mentions of "obligations"...
More biblical overtones with "need for beginnings, /ends/blood... " and the closing couplet that
"we were once made of flesh" -- as if a small hubristic reference to ourselves as gods.
This poem invites a discussion about Agape, about Love as the greatest fulfillment we can achieve... about the elements of sacrifice, faith, hope, charity ....
Toni Morrison: the three stanzas perhaps like 3 parts of Eve's life... It would be hard not to note a parallel with slavery, emancipation...
I enjoyed the end rhymes "caressed/kissed" in stanza 2; "again/been..." set against "sail, gale, scale" with the final unrhymed "to be" -- both in the sense of "being alive" and "what is to come."
Claudia Castro Luna: 14 lines where many of the multiple meanings of "asi" are explored--
Barbara mentioned there are 19 different ways to understand this word: so, even if, just like, just as,
like this, etc. We admired the splendid metaphor of the untamable side of Claudia-- her hair-- each
"shaft an electric tendril vibrating its own, humming life". I especially loved the non-adjectival ways
of describing the different aspects: the quick and slow of me; the I'm afraid/I can't of me; it's beyond me side of me... Do we know where this city is that allows this? Although we didn't discuss that, I love
that one volatile world allows an entire metaphorical city, replete with seasons, a tree, branching out, containing all -- the coming and going the root, the trunk... all of it!
Elizabeth Alexander: Lovely to hear her read. Another layered poem filled with the question,
"or was it..." leading up to this utterly convincing love of a grandfather tending his grandchildren.
Steve Coffman:
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