Introduction to Poetry
BY BILLY COLLINS
I ask them to take a poem
and hold it up to the light
like a color slide
or press an ear against its hive.
I say drop a mouse into a poem
and watch him probe his way out,
or walk inside the poem’s room
and feel the walls for a light switch.
I want them to waterski
across the surface of a poem
waving at the author’s name on the shore.
But all they want to do
is tie the poem to a chair with rope
and torture a confession out of it.
They begin beating it with a hose
to find out what it really means.
That has to be the best poem about poetry I have ever read, usually poems about writing poetry stink.
I am sure I will receive more backlash from the clique for merely posting it.
I think you should stay and we can continue to post interesting topics for discussion, just ignore them if they try to disrupt.
Not even mention them from now on.
Thank you Dave and Thank you Billy!