Friday, April 06, 2012

My Favorite Poets / Poems (at the moment)

NaBloPoMo April 2012

So a lot of the blogging prompts at BlogHer's NaBloPoMo for this month so far have been like, "what poem is best when you're sad?" and so forth.

I don't read poetry that way. I don't turn to a poem or specific author when I have certain feelings or life events. I just kind of have favorite poems, poets, or even just a favorite LINE of poetry that strikes me.

I don't sit around like a college student (no offense) and just read piles of poetry books for days on end (um, I'm a mom, remember)... I just like to have poetry and poetic words "around" to inspire me, dwell on, and make me think.  
Here's a few authors whose poetry I enjoy:
  • Shakespearean sonnets - for their complexity
  • John Donne - for his metaphysical references that intrigue me
  • e. e. cummings - for his unusual and whimsical style
  • William Carlos Williams - for his often-curious brevity
  • Mary Oliver - for the way she makes one think about life and living in a deeper way
  • Langston Hughes - for his imagery
  • Theodore Roethke - for his poetic devices

You may wonder that some magificent and wonderful poets are missing from my list. I'm sure some are unintentional as I am making this list on the fly.

Some poets, I have just one poem of theirs I love, but the rest I am not a fan of - so I didn't include them in this particular list.

And others, I couldn't QUITE include as I don't LOVE their poetry as some do. For example, Robert Frost, Emily Dickenson - I enjoy studying them, and I have learned a lot about style from their writings... but I don't necessarily have them come to mind as poets I "love." I hope that makes sense.

I also don't really enjoy modern poetry so I haven't read much of it past the 1960s... I may be missing some rare gems in this regard... but what can I say? The classic poets have so much to offer, I feel that my time is taken up with them!

Who are some poets you just LOVE? I'd like to meet some new poets to love!

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