Musing on Poetry by Kathy Harlan
Ask a room full of people, “Do you like poetry?” and the answer in
most average groups is, “Not really.” Ask that same gathering of people,
“Is there one poem you really like?” and the answer is likely, “Yes.”
Most people can even quote from that favorite poem. Poems that were
memorized in their youth are the best loved and remembered, even
though it may have seemed boring or difficult at the time.
In answer to that question, I heard recitations from The Midnight
Ride of Paul Revere (Longfellow); Annabel Lee (Poe), The Canterbury
Tales, recited in the Old English vernacular (Chaucer), Trees (Kilmer),
The Face on the Bar Room Floor (d’Arcy), and other traditional favorites.
I also was treated to some original poetry and some obscure lines from
long-forgotten poets.
Former Poet Laureate of the United States, Robert Pinsky, launched
the Favorite Poem Project ten years ago during National Poetry
Month. A part of the Library of Congress Bicentennial celebration, the
Project created an audio and video archive of Americans of all ages,
backgrounds, and walks of life reciting their favorite poems. A number
of these videos may be found at www.favoritepoem.org.
One video features an 11-year-old baseball fan reciting Casey at the
Bat. “There is no joy in Mudville, Mighty Casey has struck out,” is a
familiar line to many. Another video has then-President Bill Clinton
speaking the words of Ralph Waldo Emerson’s Concord Hymn, which
gave us the memorable phrase “the shot heard round the world.” A
high school student recites and tells about this award-winning poem by
Gwendolyn Brooks, We Real Cool.
Basic to this initiative is Mr. Pinsky’s belief that poetry is meant to be read or performed aloud. “If a poem is written well, it was written
with the poet’s voice and for a voice. Reading a poem silently instead of
saying a poem is like the difference between staring at sheet music and
actually humming or playing the music on an instrument.”
Poetry From A to X-Rated
Young children love poetry and they delight in reciting from Dr. Seuss:
Page 2
|
|
