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105th Virtual Poetry Circle

Welcome to the 105th Virtual Poetry Circle!

Remember, this is just for fun and is not meant to be stressful.

Keep in mind what Molly Peacock’s books suggested. Look at a line, a stanza, sentences, and images; describe what you like or don’t like; and offer an opinion. If you missed my review of her book, check it out here.

Also, sign up for the 2011 Fearless Poetry Reading Challenge because its simple; you only need to read 1 book of poetry.  Please contribute to the growing list of 2011 Indie Lit Award Poetry Suggestions, visit the stops on the National Poetry Month Blog Tour from April.

Today’s poem is from Michael Dickman’s Flies on page 21-3.

Emily Dickinson to the Rescue

Standing in her house today all I could think of was whether she
+++ took a shit every morning.

or ever fucked anybody
or ever fucked
herself

God’s poet
singing herself to sleep

You want these sorts of things for people

Bodies and
the earth
and

the earth inside

Instead of white
nightgowns and terrifying
letters

*

Here she comes
her hands out in front of her
like a child flying
above its bed

Her ankles and wrists held tightly between the fingers of a brightly
+++ lit parent home from a party

Flying

Her spine
flying

Singing +++++ “Here I come!”

Her legs pumping
her heart
out

*

Heaven is everywhere
but there’s still
the world

The world is Cancer House Fires and Brain Death here in America

But I love the world

Emily Dickinson
to the rescue

I used to think we were bread
gentle work and water
We’re not

But we’re still beautiful

Killing each other as much as we can
beneath the
pines

The pines
that are somebody’s
masterpiece

Let me know your thoughts, ideas, feelings, impressions. Let’s have a great discussion…pick a line, pick an image, pick a sentence.

I’ve you missed the other Virtual Poetry Circles. It’s never too late to join the discussion.

Comments

  1. Well, I can definitely say that I’d never wondered those things about Emily Dickinson!

  2. I echo “wow”!!!! Quite an opening! So effective and thought-provoking!

    • I’m glad you enjoyed it. I really thought that it worked well throughout. I wonder what Dickinson fans, other than me, would think.

  3. Wow, that’s pretty visceral! It’s always amazing to me how shocked I am when I read the F word in something. I mean, it’s not like I don’t use it myself sometimes. I know…shame on me! I couldn’t help but think of a book I read several months ago, The Secret Life of Emily Dickinson by Jerome Charyn, while reading this. In that book, Emily was very human so I’m sure she did have bodily functions. Now in it, she did not…ahem, f***…but she sure did fantasize about it. 😀 Interesting poem this week. Thanks for sharing.

    • Charyn’s book is on my list of must have books! I really loved the striking nature of this poem. I mean do these icons we hold up do human things? We have to remember that they were human.