Beautiful piece, Matt. I specifically enjoyed the way you connected poets and poetry to how civilization began to learn and remember important things--the "architects of civilization" you called them. I also enjoyed the poems you shared from Maya and Troy. Beautiful. "Spring" was my favorite.
Brandon, thank you. I feel that making the historical connections helps me to have a better grasp on things. "Spring" was also my favorite of the poems selected.
I think one of the great beauties of poetry is that no matter what we believe about it (and ourselves in relation to it), it’s really only asking us to bear witness to it. For a long time, I forgot that poetry is less about what it meant to (or about) the author when it was written, than it is about what it brings up in and the meaning it takes on for the reader.
Kristine, you are correct in your description of poetry. It is a learning process for me in that I tend to want to analyze and understand everything. Sometimes though it is ok if we just allow ourselves to be and observe.
I am floored by this beautiful, thoughtful, generous review and loved reading all of your personal reflections AND the useful historical context. Thank you, thank you. 🫶🏼
Intimidated as you are by poetry, you’ve plunged into it with conviction and rigor. For me the pleasure of poetry is rooted in mystery. You don’t have to understand to keep reading, pulled along by the sensual appeal of rhythm and image. The poem is usually short enough to reread when you have a few minutes. Like a person you are getting to know, it reveals a little more of itself on each encounter. Other forms don’t work that way. I’ll quit on a novel that perplexes me. There are poems I’ve been reading my whole life, and they have grown, opened up, along with me, including some I didn’t much like on the first reading.
Rona, I think you are right in everything you say here. I found that reading the words aloud helped me to feel the power and emotion of the writing. It wasn't necessary to understand at first but to feel.
"The sky filled with stars / that had been there already." is such a good distillation of poetic wonder and the work of poetry. Thank you @MayaCPopa for the wonderful(l) poems.
What a wonderful review of this collection by Maya C. Popa and an explanation. of poetry. In my course, I argue for reading poetry, just as you describe and this: If poetry makes your brain hurt: Research in Scotland shows that poetry is good for the brain, that reading and listening to poetry requires greater brain activity than reading prose, that it may help people with age-related memory problems, and children who are dislexic . I am not making this up.,
Mary, that is really fascinating. I wasn't aware of the scientific/health benefits but it makes sense to me. Our brains are amazing things. Glad you enjoyed this article and thank you for being here.
Thank you, Matthew, for this great article, and for introducing your readers to Maya and her work. Not only is she a brilliant poet, she is an extraordinary teacher and one of the most inspiring and generous people on Substack. If you think you don’t understand poetry, Maya will convince you otherwise. She may even be your gateway drug. Her Zoom classes are the best bargain here, and included in the cost of a paid subscription. Who knows, you could even meet your inner poet.
I was dubious of reading this as I don't "get" wafty poetry especially when it doesn't even rhyme. But to my delight and surprise I loved all this. The poems by both authors were about REAL THINGS and in simple plain words. Or is that just MY interpretation. Here are my two favourite poems,or rather the "bit' I like and that speaks to me.
1) "Why should I let the Toad work/Squat on my life?/Cant I use my wits as a pitchfork/ And drive the brute off?…..
Lots of folk live up lanes/With fires in a bucket/Eat windfalls and tinned sardines...No one actually starves.
Toads by Philip Larkin.
2) Cynddylan on a Tractor.
Ah,you should see Cynddylan on a tractor./ Gone the old look that yoked him to the soil/He's a new man now,part of the machine/ His nerves of metal and his blood oil/
The clutch curses,but the gears obey/His least bidding,and lo,hes away/ Out of the farmyard,scattering hens./Riding to work now as a great man should....As Cynddylan passes proudly up the lane.
Thank you, Matthew, I really enjoyed your article and Maya’s poems. If you are not familiar with Seamus Heaney, may I suggest you start with “Digging” and “Follower”. I think you would enjoy those. I also like listening to recordings of him reading his poetry. I love that you started reading poems aloud, for this is when they really come to life.
Maureen, I appreciate the kind words and the recommendations. I haven't read anything by Heaney although some folks have recommended his work to me previously. I will definitely check those out.
Absolutely lovely introduction and encouragement to anyone who may be a bit trepidatious towards poetry. And the poems you posted by Maya are simply stunning. Thank you for a generous and honest intro to her work.
I too fear poetry and my lack of knowledge and experience around it. Thanks for bringing Maya's work to the fore. I shall order her collection. The living poet I love most is Bhanu Kapil. Her book How To Was A Heart is life-changing. https://bit.ly/49XFTJL
Eleanor, I am glad of the opportunity to share the works of others, particularly when that work has helped me to grow in some way. My work computer won't let me click your link but I am going to check it out this evening when I get home. Thank you for sharing with me.
Beautiful piece Matthew. I too feel, maybe not terrified, but intimidated by poetry. I bought a used copy of Leaves of Grass a couple of years ago but have yet to open it. In my past attempting to read poetry and not understanding what I read was a cause of frustration but I like what you said about not needing to understand it to be moved by it. I also took the suggestion to read aloud which I did with Maya’s beautiful poems. Such a different experience to reading in my head. Thank you for this wonderful essay.
Noreen, you are very welcome. Intimidated may be a better word but it sure felt terrifying when I was starting out! I think I have overcome my fear enough to attempt more poetry but likely I will take it in small doses until I get more comfortable.
coincidence; I just recently picked up a copy of Gllgamesh (translated by Stephen Mitchell). There is something, I don't know... powerful feeling, and exotic, about being connected to the writer and setting of the oldest written story in the world.
Nicely done here, Matthew. Maybe this one from Billy Collins will make poetry seem less formidable?
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/46712/introduction-to-poetry
Thanks Joshua. I think I can get behind some poetry like that!
Beautiful piece, Matt. I specifically enjoyed the way you connected poets and poetry to how civilization began to learn and remember important things--the "architects of civilization" you called them. I also enjoyed the poems you shared from Maya and Troy. Beautiful. "Spring" was my favorite.
Brandon, thank you. I feel that making the historical connections helps me to have a better grasp on things. "Spring" was also my favorite of the poems selected.
I think one of the great beauties of poetry is that no matter what we believe about it (and ourselves in relation to it), it’s really only asking us to bear witness to it. For a long time, I forgot that poetry is less about what it meant to (or about) the author when it was written, than it is about what it brings up in and the meaning it takes on for the reader.
Thanks for sharing this review with us!
Kristine, you are correct in your description of poetry. It is a learning process for me in that I tend to want to analyze and understand everything. Sometimes though it is ok if we just allow ourselves to be and observe.
I am floored by this beautiful, thoughtful, generous review and loved reading all of your personal reflections AND the useful historical context. Thank you, thank you. 🫶🏼
Maya, thank you for sharing your beautiful work with the world and giving me an opportunity to read and reflect on it. It was a joy.
Intimidated as you are by poetry, you’ve plunged into it with conviction and rigor. For me the pleasure of poetry is rooted in mystery. You don’t have to understand to keep reading, pulled along by the sensual appeal of rhythm and image. The poem is usually short enough to reread when you have a few minutes. Like a person you are getting to know, it reveals a little more of itself on each encounter. Other forms don’t work that way. I’ll quit on a novel that perplexes me. There are poems I’ve been reading my whole life, and they have grown, opened up, along with me, including some I didn’t much like on the first reading.
Rona, I think you are right in everything you say here. I found that reading the words aloud helped me to feel the power and emotion of the writing. It wasn't necessary to understand at first but to feel.
Now you are and will remain a poetry person.
"The sky filled with stars / that had been there already." is such a good distillation of poetic wonder and the work of poetry. Thank you @MayaCPopa for the wonderful(l) poems.
Mason, thanks for taking the time to read and join the conversation. Really appreciated.
Fabulous post Matthew. I think you conquered your fear with great success!
Thanks Pamela, it is exciting to face our fears with an open mind. We may just find a new love for the thing we feared!
What a wonderful review of this collection by Maya C. Popa and an explanation. of poetry. In my course, I argue for reading poetry, just as you describe and this: If poetry makes your brain hurt: Research in Scotland shows that poetry is good for the brain, that reading and listening to poetry requires greater brain activity than reading prose, that it may help people with age-related memory problems, and children who are dislexic . I am not making this up.,
Mary, that is really fascinating. I wasn't aware of the scientific/health benefits but it makes sense to me. Our brains are amazing things. Glad you enjoyed this article and thank you for being here.
Thank you, Matthew, for this great article, and for introducing your readers to Maya and her work. Not only is she a brilliant poet, she is an extraordinary teacher and one of the most inspiring and generous people on Substack. If you think you don’t understand poetry, Maya will convince you otherwise. She may even be your gateway drug. Her Zoom classes are the best bargain here, and included in the cost of a paid subscription. Who knows, you could even meet your inner poet.
Mary, thank you very much. I am definitely going to look into Maya's classes once my schedule calms down a bit!
I was dubious of reading this as I don't "get" wafty poetry especially when it doesn't even rhyme. But to my delight and surprise I loved all this. The poems by both authors were about REAL THINGS and in simple plain words. Or is that just MY interpretation. Here are my two favourite poems,or rather the "bit' I like and that speaks to me.
1) "Why should I let the Toad work/Squat on my life?/Cant I use my wits as a pitchfork/ And drive the brute off?…..
Lots of folk live up lanes/With fires in a bucket/Eat windfalls and tinned sardines...No one actually starves.
Toads by Philip Larkin.
2) Cynddylan on a Tractor.
Ah,you should see Cynddylan on a tractor./ Gone the old look that yoked him to the soil/He's a new man now,part of the machine/ His nerves of metal and his blood oil/
The clutch curses,but the gears obey/His least bidding,and lo,hes away/ Out of the farmyard,scattering hens./Riding to work now as a great man should....As Cynddylan passes proudly up the lane.
By R.S Thomas.
Jane, thank you for sharing your own reservations about poetry. I am glad you enjoyed the article. I liked the two that you shared as well.
Thank you, Matthew, I really enjoyed your article and Maya’s poems. If you are not familiar with Seamus Heaney, may I suggest you start with “Digging” and “Follower”. I think you would enjoy those. I also like listening to recordings of him reading his poetry. I love that you started reading poems aloud, for this is when they really come to life.
Maureen, I appreciate the kind words and the recommendations. I haven't read anything by Heaney although some folks have recommended his work to me previously. I will definitely check those out.
Absolutely lovely introduction and encouragement to anyone who may be a bit trepidatious towards poetry. And the poems you posted by Maya are simply stunning. Thank you for a generous and honest intro to her work.
Jenn, thank you for those kind words. It was fun once I got past my initial fears!
I too fear poetry and my lack of knowledge and experience around it. Thanks for bringing Maya's work to the fore. I shall order her collection. The living poet I love most is Bhanu Kapil. Her book How To Was A Heart is life-changing. https://bit.ly/49XFTJL
Eleanor, I am glad of the opportunity to share the works of others, particularly when that work has helped me to grow in some way. My work computer won't let me click your link but I am going to check it out this evening when I get home. Thank you for sharing with me.
She's a master.
Beautiful piece Matthew. I too feel, maybe not terrified, but intimidated by poetry. I bought a used copy of Leaves of Grass a couple of years ago but have yet to open it. In my past attempting to read poetry and not understanding what I read was a cause of frustration but I like what you said about not needing to understand it to be moved by it. I also took the suggestion to read aloud which I did with Maya’s beautiful poems. Such a different experience to reading in my head. Thank you for this wonderful essay.
Noreen, you are very welcome. Intimidated may be a better word but it sure felt terrifying when I was starting out! I think I have overcome my fear enough to attempt more poetry but likely I will take it in small doses until I get more comfortable.
coincidence; I just recently picked up a copy of Gllgamesh (translated by Stephen Mitchell). There is something, I don't know... powerful feeling, and exotic, about being connected to the writer and setting of the oldest written story in the world.
Don, it is pretty amazing when you reflect on it, how those words have been passed down through thousands of years. Quite something.
Thanks for the mention!
You are very welcome! Thanks for doing the hard work of keeping a directory.