Friday, December 05, 2014

Friday Books: Poems

I don't often read poems, especially a whole book of them. I never had good experiences studying poetry in high school and college, so I usually avoid them.

This week I have been on a hunt for books by local authors. I found a nice selection of several books, and was pleased to find a poetry book written by someone I used to work with! I bought it and read the whole book. (Luckily, poetry books are usually not very long.)

The book is Between by Morgan Grayce Willow. I really enjoyed this book. Willow is pondering how our bodies work, how our thoughts form, she highlights people in her life, nature, life and death, Lake Superior, and even American Sign Language. (She is a former sign language interpreter which is how I happened to work with her once, long ago.)

This was a good reminder to me that poetry isn't always some old, cumbersome piece of drudgery that I can't understand. I guess when I was made to study poetry, I didn't have the fun of reading poems which spoke to me. (Or, more likely, I was too young and naïve to have experienced life enough to appreciate the poems.)

If you're not a reader of poetry, pick some up and read it this week. See what you think! Maybe it'll bring some magic into your life.




1 comment:

Anonymous said...

There is a lot to be said for readiness. I hated Jane Eyre for years because a teacher pushed me to read it in the fifth grade. Talk about too young!

How fun to find a book by someone you once worked with--and to like it too!