Would you buy a book of poetry?

Crookshanks

Wed, Jun 16 2021, 8:03 am

I also bought once a book of poetry by Roberta Chester called Light Years. You can try to get that online, as Memo to Self is out of print and impossible to find.

amother

Broom

Wed, Jun 16 2021, 8:26 am

I voted no.

I love reading but I can't read poetry. My eyes glaze over. I always skip the poems in books unless they're important to the plot and then I slog through them.

BrisketBoss

Wed, Jun 16 2021, 10:36 am

wif wrote:

Ok. All of you who love Shel Silverstein: hold the phone.

See, when we were dating, my husband and I had a debate over who was the better poet. I said Shel Silverstein, and he said Ogden Nash, and we debated this for a long time, quoting poems at each other in a sort of epic poetry battle. I stuck to my guns until we got married. I brought Shel Silverstein to our marriage, and he brought Ogden Nash, and we read each other's books and...

He was totally right.

SO go check out Ogden Nash.

You will be so happy.

I am so excited for you!

Oh, and I would definitely buy a frum poetry book. I actually have in the past, but I misplaced it in a move and I'm blanking on the name. It was real poetry, not the sort of poetry so aptly described by agreer, and it was lovely.

Yes!! I love Ogden Nash so much. I've effortlessly memorized many of his really short poems and also the one about Columbus.

tigerwife

Wed, Jun 16 2021, 12:49 pm

wif wrote:

Omg, I love his work!

Chayalle

Wed, Jun 16 2021, 12:52 pm

I would.

Years ago I purchased a book of poetry for children, and it was one of my girls' favorite choices before bedtime growing up, often above a story. I feel it enriched their thought process, ideas, imagination....to read poems rather than just stories (they had plenty of those too.)

scruffy

Wed, Jun 16 2021, 1:07 pm

I have God's Optimism by Yehoshua November.

Beautiful poetry by a frum man.

He wrote another volume which I'd like to get.

If you want a taste of his style, he has some poems up online.

Lovable

Wed, Jun 16 2021, 1:20 pm

I voted yes, I love poems! And I love writing poetry.
That being said, I abhor free verse poems. They mostly have no rhythm and can easily be put back into one long sentence
But I'm all for limericks, rhyming, haiku, and anything with a beat:)

scruffy

Wed, Jun 16 2021, 1:20 pm

Crookshanks wrote:

I love his poem about cleaning out his grandfather's things. I don't have it anymore. Do you have a link for it?

Found it

https://www.thesunmagazine.org.....tment

scruffy

Wed, Jun 16 2021, 1:23 pm

Lovable wrote:

Interesting because I feel differently.

Some poetry is enhanced by rhyming but it oftens feels forced to me and it feels like the poet cared more about getting it to fit than the meaning and emotion behind the words.

When it's done well it's breathtaking though.

Crookshanks

Wed, Jun 16 2021, 1:24 pm

scruffy wrote:

I have God's Optimism by Yehoshua November.

Beautiful poetry by a frum man.

He wrote another volume which I'd like to get.

If you want a taste of his style, he has some poems up online.

https://www.amazon.com/Two-Wor.....91799

amother

Navyblue

Wed, Jun 16 2021, 1:25 pm

scruffy wrote:

I don't usually like meaningful poetry. I have interpretation issues. I love rhyming poems that are funny or that tell stories. I used to memorize ballads for fun. I loved my children's poetry books.

I don't know why it seems to be a frum thing to write rhyming verse for various occasions. It's always done so badly.

amother

Catmint

Wed, Jun 16 2021, 1:29 pm

To me, most free verse poetry seems as if

the "poet" just has something against writing prose

and believes

that adding more line breaks

Takes the writing

From prose to poem

From prosaic to poetic

And I have to disagree.

scruffy

Wed, Jun 16 2021, 1:33 pm

amother [ Catmint ] wrote:

you made me smile:)

I think that not all rhyming poems deserve to be called poetry, they should be called rhymes.

And not all free verse poems deserve to be called poetry, they should be called prose:)

Crookshanks

Wed, Jun 16 2021, 1:51 pm

I've only seen two poems from her, but I really really like Rikki Ehrlich's poems '40 Days' and 'Broken.' They rhyme, but they rhyme really well.
I love her short stories as well so it seems I just don't discriminate...

cbsp

Wed, Jun 16 2021, 2:14 pm

Vikram Seth - All you who sleep tonight

And Ogden Nash as well

I also have a collection self published by R' Yehoshua (Andy) Karsh
Notes of an Urban Amish: A Collection of Poems
https://www.amazon.com/dp/0595.....3AZDX

And I have another collection entitled "Dear G-D, why me?"

amother

Gray

Wed, Jun 16 2021, 2:37 pm

There was a frum woman whose poetry was sometimes featured in the Voice of Lakewood. I can't remember her name, but I really liked her poems and was disappointed when they stopped publishing them! I never was into poems but found those spoke to me, so if she would put out a book, I would buy it...

amother

Viola

Wed, Jun 16 2021, 2:45 pm

agreer wrote:

If it was a collection of the "poems" on the end pages of Jewish magazines - no way.
Those are not poems.
Those are words
Written,
In broken lines
Trying to hard but failing too much.

Worse are the rhyming poems that don't make sense. Blech.

But if it was like the poetry of Lin-Manuel Miranda? Maybe.

(I voted no in the poll because almost no one is like LMM.)

Exactly, I have poetry anthologies already in my library. I can’t imagine buying a frum anthology though. Where would you find the poems for it?

Delicately
They touch their pen to the page
Words dribble out
Like ink on a paper towel

tigerwife

Wed, Jun 16 2021, 3:06 pm

Chayalle wrote:

Yes, I agree with this very much.
To me, the most important part is the rhythm. Even if I read a poem alone to myself, I whisper it out loud. Poems need to be recited, not read.

Iymnok

Wed, Jun 16 2021, 3:16 pm

I voted no since I don’t usually enjoy reading poetry. I do enjoy a good poem that moves. I have If memorized. It moves, wash line adds something new. A poem that tells a story with a purpose I would rad as well. Half hearted rhymes makes me want to throw it out the window.
My father has a rhyming dictionary. I loved reading through it.