tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-880716367641540716.post9158785102620669571..comments2023-06-17T04:09:19.944-05:00Comments on Bird in a Box: Iridium NibMiss Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13659603837343456631noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-880716367641540716.post-71773073062052933442012-07-04T06:04:55.476-05:002012-07-04T06:04:55.476-05:00Some poet said it's damn hard to make poetry s...Some poet said it's damn hard to make poetry sound this easy and natural. In some way it is unfortunate that the poet has to see and know the craft from the inside. But I think once we know and accept it, that all artists face this, it becomes easier to accept. I grew up loving Norman Rockwell because my parents had a huge coffee table book of his illustrations. Still, now, when I write a poem that draws inspiration from others (often!) I see his self portrait at the canvas with clipped and famous artist's self portraits (Rembrandt, van Gogh) on the edges. That means a lot to me.<br /><br />What a beautiful memory of your dear sister reading to you. Oh, MJ. Tears.Ruthhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14204074161539605133noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-880716367641540716.post-33423709037324049942012-06-30T21:16:02.040-05:002012-06-30T21:16:02.040-05:00Thank you for your comment, Ruth. I was so aware ...Thank you for your comment, Ruth. I was so aware of the crafting of this, of the artifice. I realized how I was NOT John Keats, I don't have his language or rhythm, but took his work as a jumping off point.<br />It was a very hot afternoon, and I put my head down on my desk like a school girl and listened to "Ode to a Nightingale." How vibrant the lines became, how brilliantly they sparkled. And how lovely to be read to again. I thought of my oldest sister, who passed away last year, reading "The Hobbit" to me and I felt so much joy at remembering that time, how she would try to do different voices for the characters and how she would laugh. <br /><br />Your comment means a lot to me. So interesting to think of you not being a story person and I'm seeing myself telling a story here, (much more directly than Keats) but chafing at it a bit because I see the machinations, the devices, the levers and wondering how "true" it is. What is the way I want to write? How do I want to do this show and tell?Miss Janehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13659603837343456631noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-880716367641540716.post-27899726821800374052012-06-30T09:33:21.593-05:002012-06-30T09:33:21.593-05:00I've tried to figure in my head (briefly, not ...I've tried to figure in my head (briefly, not to worry) what your craft entails, and how you press me open from stanza to stanza. It is a gift to move this way, from a butterfly to a stack of letters. Maybe one day I will get past just praising your craft and care more about what you are writing <i>about</i>. But as with any good film, I don't often care what the subject or plot is, it's the film making I care about. I have never been a story person, have had low comprehension reading books. I usually have to read anything twice. But the ability of the artist to lead me into this delectable place is all I know of at this moment. <br /><br />And I don't want to parse it out, though it would be worthy of that and would be an enjoyable task.Ruthhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14204074161539605133noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-880716367641540716.post-59470344858605062652012-06-19T10:33:50.450-05:002012-06-19T10:33:50.450-05:00Thank you so much, erin. Inspired by John Keats h...Thank you so much, erin. Inspired by John Keats here--Ode to a Nightingale (see my next post)--more from the feeding of the obsession. I'm no John Keats, but I have birds and butterflies and the coming of the evening and distant is the beloved . . . So, I gave it a shot. Melodious plot, indeed.Miss Janehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13659603837343456631noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-880716367641540716.post-16323700570362605082012-06-18T20:02:15.171-05:002012-06-18T20:02:15.171-05:00oh, i don't know about the question you asked ...oh, i don't know about the question you asked my way, jane. your language and your imagery hold me in sway. each time you lead me further and further into the forest of your making. i go willingly.<br /><br />xo<br />erinerinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16636371927224076866noreply@blogger.com