And Now for the Words--Poetry Thursday--A Meme

1. The first poem I remember reading/hearing/reacting to was--I don't remember any first; I know I had a book of poems by Robert Louis Stevenson and one called Reflections on a Gift of Watermelon Pickle. Actually Dr. Suess is probably responsible for my earliest poems, of a sort. I am Sam, Sam I am, Do you eat Green Eggs and Ham? Green Eggs and Ham was one of my favorite read aloud books. A modern kids' poet I enjoy is Jack Prelutsky. It is also a great teacher of vocabulary words.

2. I was forced to memorize (name of poem) in school and........there were many. The Robert Frost one that goes "The woods are quiet, dark and deep. . ." Two fables by Jean de la Fontaine in French--these I loved and still love; I was also delighted to find out that my Grandfather had memorized the same poems when he was in school and (at the time I learned them) could still recite them. The poem whose author I have forgotten--"Some say the world will end in fire, some in ice. . ." A Shakespeare sonnet ("Shall I compare thee to a rose?"), etc. etc.

3. I read/don't read poetry because....I just bought two poetry books which are the first in ages. My interest was rekindled by some of the blog poets I've run into. An After-Hours Blog wrote in a post about people who write poetry but don't read it. It challenged me to read some and see what I make of some modern poets. I intentionally bought books by two poets I had never read before, avoiding classics I had or would have read in school. I think I usually don't read poetry because I've been continually reading novels, non-fiction works and professional books. I loved reading poems in school when we could study and discuss them together. I would like to go back to reading French poetry. Baudelaire, Apollinaire and Rimbaud come to mind.
4. A poem I'm likely to think about when asked about a favorite poem is .......none comes to mind at present.
5. I write/don't write poetry, but..............I wish I did, in a way. I went to a (professional)workshop about creativity in therapy at a recent meeting and they had us write a poem which was my first in ages. I just don't want to write crappy poems.
6. My experience with reading poetry differs from my experience with reading other types of literature.....because poems need to be studied. You can gulp down a novel but a poem should be read several times to digest.
7. I find poetry.....stimulating.
8. The last time I heard poetry....I don't think I've ever been to a poetry reading. Does it count if an elementary school teacher reads it aloud?
9. I think poetry is like....clouds. The forms change with the winds and the eyes of the beholder.
One of two poetry books I bought this week: