A wonderful occasion to hear one of the world's great living poets!
Friday, September 30, 2022
Wednesday, September 28, 2022
Sunday, September 25, 2022
HART CRANE
My current thinking is prompted by Hart Crane who said:
"The writing of a poem is not - as the writing of a chemical equation is - intended to describe anything; instead, the poem is the chemical reaction itself."
Thursday, September 22, 2022
Chu Berry - Blowin' Up A Breeze
So far ahead of his time ... and Hot Lips on trumpet: great musicians.
Thursday, September 15, 2022
Natalie Goldberg's definition of Poetry
Over many decades, when I’ve been teaching writing, I have used a great list of famous poets who have described poetry, never quite nailing its essence. Today, while throwing out books to the op shop, I came across Natalie Goldberg’s WILD MIND. Page 203 held a great surprise – another definition:
Poetry is a dumb Buddha who thinks a donkey is as important as a diamond.
Wow, this reader’s mind is in a turmoil of images which collide and clutter in the neural junkshop. It doesn’t tell me ; it delights me.
Sunday, September 11, 2022
ART IMPULSE by Andrew Burke
One of my favourite artists
was born before language
and I understand what s/he
was communicating:
five clay streaks on
a cave wall. Now the Tv
would feast on the arts channel
exploring which school of art
s/he creates in, what
string of influences s/he had,
the materials s/he chose
and the palette of the diaspora.
I ask, ‘Why did you stop at five?’
S/he puts up her hand in answer.
Published in The Australian 2022,
Lisa Gorton wrote in her poem Grafitti:
An arm’s length of
wall permits any depth
of meditative calm or
your money back.
I read it on the Internet,
I saw the streaks on my screen.
*
Why I wrote this poem
is the same impulse s/he had.
