"I, too, dislike it..."

Robert Pinsky discusses Marianne Moore's "Poetry," one of her most widely anthologized poems, on Slate.com. The first part of the famous first line of "Poetry" -- "I, too, dislike it" -- is probably the line of poetry that pops into my head more than any other. The line perfectly embodies the conflict I feel about being a poetry fan (the full line is "I, too, dislike it: there are things that are important beyond all this fiddle"). While I typically dislike (ha!) poems about poetry (there are far too many and so many of them are naval gazing dreck, pointing, I think, to a desperate need for poets to get out more), Moore's poem is an exception. It is essentially saying what I think so often: "How can anybody stand poetry with all it's pretense and self-absorption and all the truly terrible verse out there not to mention how humorless so much of it is?" Of course, Moore says it a lot more eloquently and magnanimously than that. She also answers the question.

While Pinsky does, at times, seem to think he can read Moore's mind (she's dead, so nice try), his remarks about her hatchet job revision of the poem are interesting. She reduced "Poetry" to three lines at one point, though the full poem is the one readers prefer and the one that stands, whether she likes it or not.

"Slog's Flying Monkeys Piss Off Area "Asshole" by Dan Savage

Flying monkeys enter the "culture wars" on Slog. Go get 'em, Dan. :)

Ilya Kaminsky in Poetry

There is an amazing sequence of poems by Ilya Kaminsky in the May 2009 issue of Poetry. All of the poems are available to read online, though the table of contents for the May issue is messed up on the Poetry web site. There is only one link by Kaminsky's name. Links to all the rest of his poems in that issue appear at the bottom of the TOC, underneath the letters to the editor. Go read them all. I am very happy to have discovered him and reading these poems felt damn good.

Cruising for monkeys

I have never really wanted to go on one before, but now, after seeing the towel creations (including a sting ray, an elephant, and this here monkey!) some friends of mind found in their room daily by housekeeping during their Carnival Cruise last week, that's a point in favor. My wife's propensity for sea sickness? Against.

"Poetry From Iran, One Tweet At A Time" on NPR

Something I am not sure any poet would want to hear said about them: "His Tweets range from the mundane to the spiritual."

But that's what NPR says about Parham Baghestani. Naturally he is from Iran, because it is apparently impossible to do a news story today about Iran without mentioning Twitter. God help us.

Conor Oberst quotes from Rolling Stone

"My whole thing is having heat. Where melody, poetry and sound all meet as one fiery liquid thing -- that's heat."
- Conor Oberst, Rolling Stone, June 5 2009.

"I don't necessarily believe in God. But when you hear music and poetry that's that truthful and spot on, you just don't feel as alone, you know? That's -- that's it. The highest form of art."
- Conor Oberst, Rolling Stone, June 5 2009.

Mad Cow or Mad Monkey?

My wife and I went to Lathrup Village Art in the Park because we dig art fairs. It was mostly a bust (except for the really good fudge). More crafts than art.

But there was one booth with some cool stuff. Pamela Cohen, a jewelry artist from Ann Arbor, had necklaces with little faces on them. Most interesting to me were the ones she called her Mad Cow pendants, which bore a striking resemblance to Paul Frank's Julius character. In fact, I was wearing a Paul Frank shirt at the fair and she pointed at me and said, "That monkey" (referring to my shirt, not me. I think).

On Cohen's blog there's a picture of the Mad Cow templates and there's really no question as to whether or not they're Julius. The finished product doesn't look exactly like the Paul Frank version, but pretty close. Except most of hers have horns (since they're, you know, cows).

Check out some of her stuff at her Etsy shop where she has a list of art fairs she's doing this summer if you want to check it out in person.

Poet Simin Behbahani: "the lioness of Iran"

There's more on NPR's blog.

"No one wants to be defeated..."

Michael Jackson is dead. I didn't even know about it right away because I said to myself yesterday morning, "I'm going to get some reading done today and stay off of the computer" and what do you know, as soon as I turn my head, half of the 1980s dies (Jackson, Farrah Fawcett, and Ed McMahon). It is a lot to have on my conscience.

Jackson's passing is obviously monkey related (duh: Bubbles), but thanks to The Awl and Detroit performer/poet Blair, it is poetry related, too.

Craig Arnold, R.I.P.

So I'm reading my April 2009 issue of Poetry (I am behind in my reading), and I come across a poem by Ramón Cote Baraibar translated by Craig Arnold. The poem, "Coal Deliveryman," is amazing and that is due, in large part, to Arnold's translating. Also in April, I posted about Arnold's disappearance in Japan. This was, in fact, how I discovered Arnold's work, which is incredible. In any case, coming across his translation in Poetry made me wonder whatever happened to him. I was hoping to find that he'd been rescued or that there'd been some kind of misunderstanding and everything was fine. Sadly, that is not the case. He is, as far as I can find out, presumed dead and has been since early May. I'm obviously a little late to the news.

According to Poets and Writers, poet Jacqueline Osherow said after his death: "I'm more broken-hearted for him than the poems he didn't live to write. This is a loss to American literature and letters. It's wrong to say he was full of promise, because he delivered on that."

Arnold's poems really are amazing. I urge you to seek them out.

Monkey Hugz

An eco-friendly baby store. And it's called Monkey Hugz. It's totally okay if you want to buy me stuff there.

Ape Genius on NOVA

Thanks, Meghan, for bringing this episode of NOVA to my attention where "experts zero in on what separates humans from our closest living relatives." You can watch the whole thing online.

Warning: not intelligent design/creationist friendly.

Here are my notes from the video. Because I am an educator:

Part 1: Chimps and water sports. Monkeys eating monkeys (a.k.a. "You'll poke your eye out!"). White people in the jungle.

Part 2: More chimp water sports. Monkey see monkey do. Judy gets addicted to slots. Obligatory Jane Goodall cameo. Ape grief.

Part 3. Termite fishing. More monkeys eating monkeys. Apes work together to prepare the Great Takeover. Helper monkeys. Chimp chow challenge. Foster apes. Invasion of the body snatchers.

Part 4: Chimp math. Ape English majors. Ape spaz outs. Ape greed. Gummy Bear gimmies.

Part 5: Take off my shoe, ape. Princess Sally and the stupidity of three-year-olds. Will work for food.

Part 6: It's not rude to point. Turbo-triangle. Teaching, smeaching. Smarter than a monkey.

You're welcome.

Dorianne Laux in Hunger Mountain

Speaking of Dorianne Laux, she has two new poems in Hunger Mountain.

P-town Stories by R. D. Skillings

Dorianne Laux introduced me to R.D. Skillings, or, rather, his work. She brought some of his poems to her Bear River workshop. Actually, calling them poems isn't entirely accurate. His book, P-town Stories, or, The Meatrack, is categorized as fiction and much of what's in it is just that. There are some poems, too, but the best pieces are what I suppose are best called prose poetry. One or two paragraphs of witty, snarky brilliance.

Christ

I was in a bookshop on Orleans and I said to the owner Do you have Kate Millet's Sexual Politics? The woman said This is a Christian bookshop. Well I said I'm very interested in Women's Liberation. Do you have anything at all in that line? And the woman said Christ is our liberator.

College

When I was 16 or 17 I used to drink in a bar like this, I'd wait till my parents went to bed and then climb out the window. One night my father caught me coming in and he just picked up my stereo and threw it at the wall. That was when I decided I'd better to go college, get the hell out.

(R. D. Skillings, from P-town Stories, or, The Meatrack, 1980 Apple-wood Press)

TXTS FRM LST NGHT: poetry and monkeys

Have you ever sent an embarrassing text you wish you could take back? Well, you might want to look for it on Texts From Last Night (TFLN). Thankfully the only identifying info is the sender's area code. Here are some highlights featuring (what else?) monkeys and poetry.

(941): i just found a plastic monkey in my sweatshirt pocket
(212): Umm I had a plastic mermaid in my pants......
(212): Really
(941): You win

And here's one I think any poet can relate to, and from a Detroit area code, no less:

(313): Holy wow, I found all the old poems u wrote me back when we were in looooooooove...just sort of wild to look back on, thought u'd like that

Um, no, I wouldn't. If I were the poet in question. Which I'm not. Thank God.