Welcome to the class, Billy Collins

So today's post is a bit of a review of my six poems I've chosen. In choosing these poems, I simply flipped through the book and let chance allow me to arrive upon a poem that struck my fancy. Not going to lie, I liked how short most of them appeared to be. I believe you should be able to get your point across in as few words as possible in order to be effective... which I'm not doing right now, so here we go:

History, page 6.

I like all of the underlying allusions and personification to events and of history. I also appreciate the bully of sir history at the idea that (gasp) someone might actually forget a major battle or English queen. Yes, history does weigh on us but we also tend to forget it and its impact on our lives.

The Dead, page 33.

The idea that the dead are looking down on us is somewhat comforting and scary, as portrayed here with their glass bottom boats they watch us through as they row through eternity. The analogy that life is like just one day and that in "a warm afternoon" we might close our eyes and join them is powerful. Or perhaps it means that we should not ponder them, but rather let them watch over us and only revere them when their memories pass through out minds?

Vade Mecum, page 36.

Vade mecum means handbook in Latin, or "go with me." I like that someone would know they are simply about to be just another page in someones book of life and that they would like to have the respect of a level table and sharp scissors for such an event. These four lines are just a perfect representation of how it feels when someone is leaving your life. You want it to be clean and easy, yet the pain is understood because of the event.

Budapest, page 69.

I picked this one simply because of the title and the fact that I will travel to Budapest this next summer. The humor of his arm being a strange animal with a mundane and monotonous mind of its own was comical and relatable, especially in the mind of a college student. It's pleasant and resolved that it will continue to participate in the same tasks, yet the imagination is what keeps you sane, or rather insane because is sanity truly so desirable?

Sonnet, page 146

Don't you just love irony? It's all encompassing, especially in a cheeky piece such as this. The references to other styles of poetry, history, and the epic love of Laura and Petrarch create yet another humorous poem that can be interpreted for face value or underscored as a finger pointing back to "norms."

Reading an Anthology of Chinese Poems of the Sung Dynasty, I Pause to Admire the Length and Clarity of Their Titles, page 136.

Wow, talk about knowing your audience. I really liked how he was able to point out that the titles of Chinese poetry may be long, but they act as a direct connection their poetry instead of a "confusingly inscribed welcome mat to puzzle over." Why must titles of poetry be so vague? I'm just as guilty of this when I write, but I appreciate the dual simplicity through longer language Collins references. It truly does create "a beaded curtain" to enter through and "sit down in a corner; cross my legs like his, and listen."

Can't wait to hear about all of ya'lls!