"A poem is a record of a discovery."
— Ted Kooser
Every year in April I get the Poetry Month Blues. The Poetry Month Blues are formally defined as, "The state of being in which a blogger berates herself and indulges in melancholy for being too busy — every single April — to do something spectacular in celebration of one of her favorite art forms."
This year, however, I'm giving myself a hug and a complete pass because we've been going through some hard things. Things are looking up, though, and I'm back for this Poetry Friday (and I'm hosting!) I'm pretty sure I'll be around next week too. Hmmm. 50% of National Poetry Month. That's basically a failing grade but it feels like a win nevertheless.
This week I've got some Ted Kooser for you. He's singing the praises of the humble spiral notebook and elevating it (of course) to a metaphor for life and aging. I love, love, love him.
A Spiral Notebook
by Ted Kooser
The bright wire rolls like a porpoise
in and out of the calm blue sea
of the cover, or perhaps like a sleeper
twisting in and out of his dreams,
for it could hold a record of dreams
if you wanted to buy it for that
though it seems to be meant for
more serious work, with its
college-ruled lines and its cover
that states in emphatic white letters,
5 SUBJECT NOTEBOOK. It seems
....
(Read the rest here.)
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I'm hosting! Please leave your link with the ever-so-helpful Mr. Linky:
Sorry to hear about the challenges this month and your Poetry Month blues -- but glad things are looking up. Enjoyed the Kooser poem (I have many blue spiral notebooks :)) -- it's new to me. April has flown by, hasn't it? Thanks so much for hosting this week!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Jama! I have many blue spiral notebooks, too (and lots of other colors.) :D
DeleteHi, Karen - Oh, your personal intro could have been written verbatim by moi. Warmest wishes, whatever you all have been going through. I'm shooting for 50 percent this Poetry Month, too, and missing being more involved this year. But I'll give myself one of those hugs and a pass to boot, if that's okay. Thank you. Ted Kooser's words are always just what the doctor ordered.... Appreciations for your rounding us all up!
ReplyDeleteRobyn, you are more than welcome to the hugs and the pass! :) Aren't we all so hard on ourselves? Enjoy the rest of Poetry Month at whatever pace works!
DeleteI love Ted Kooser's work, also, and love how he uses the spiral notebook to explore aging. Thanks for sharing this. And thanks so much for hosting. Great post!
ReplyDeleteIt's a fabulous metaphor, isn't it?
DeleteHi, Karen. Thank you for hosting today. I was just talking with my VCFA students about Ted Kooser -- his book Blizzard Voices is one of my favorites.
ReplyDeleteI feel you about Poetry Month. This year, I was only able to participate for the first half of my February Poetry Project. I keep telling myself I'll go back and respond to the rest of the prompts. Sigh. Hang in there! 50% is better than 0%.
Blizzard Voices is amazing. And yup, 50% is sometimes all we can muster and that's okay. :)
DeleteKaren-- I hear you! It feels like April is the month of All the Things, and there's never enough time to do it all. Definitely be kind to yourself! Thank you so much for hosting today, and for the Ted Kooser poem. Happy Poetry Friday!
ReplyDeleteYes, the month of All the Things! :D That's exactly how it always feels.
DeleteHi Karen, well, I've been super swamped too, and short for time for this month of poetry that I so long to be lost in, but I'm getting and giving bits and pieces. Thanks for giving us the reflective Kooser poem, and also for hosting the roundup!
ReplyDeleteSo glad you enjoyed the Kooser poem, Michelle! I love the way you phrased it: "getting and giving bits and pieces." Yes.
DeleteKaren, I'm sorry about the hard things but am glad they're better. Love the Ted Kooser poem here. Sounds like me at the CVS!
ReplyDeleteSusan, thanks, and I love that vision of you at the CVS! :)
DeleteKaren, I'm so glad you are here today! Thanks for hosting, and thank you for the Ted Kooser poem.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful!
"passing / your fingers over its surfaces / as if it were some kind of wonder."
Now I'm off to read more of his poems.
Thanks, Denise! Enjoy Kooser. I've been able to go to several readings of his over the years and it's always a complete treat.
DeleteI can identify with the struggle to find the time for what we love. Somehow it doesn’t seem fair to do what needs to be done, but not what wants to be done.
ReplyDeleteThank you for hosting, and for the lovely poem with imagery that always makes me smile.
Ah, yes, if only we could always do what wants to be done! :)
DeleteI am sorry for the challenges and glad they are looking better, Karen. As for April, every week (and all the other weeks of the year) you bring me a poem that makes me smile. And today it is a pleasure always to read Ted Kooser and about notebooks, a new one to me, it couldn't be better for poets in April, right? Thanks much!
ReplyDeleteThank you for all of this, Linda. ❤️ You are so kind.
DeleteKaren, thank you for hosting Poetry Friday even though this month has been challenging for you. The quote you shared fits so beautifully with my blog so I will end with it, thanks to you!
ReplyDeleteMay the blessings of spring give you joy.
Thanks, Carol, and I'm so happy to lend a line to your post! I had to be out of town yesterday but I can't wait to make the rounds.
DeleteThank you, Karen, for articulating how many of us (me!) feel and giving yourself (and by extension us/me!) grace to do our damn best despite April's poetic designation. I am grateful you are here today hosting and that I got to read both Ted Kooser's and your words. :)
ReplyDeleteGrace to do your damn best is fully granted, Bridget! :D Thanks so much! ❤️
DeleteThanks for hosting today, Karen, and for sharing the words of Ted Kooser. His notebook metaphor has me thinking about the attention we give to what's most important in life. I hope life's situations continue to improve for you. Hugs!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the hugs, Rose! ❤️ Yes, Kooser has a way of getting to the heart of things.
DeleteKaren, I hear you. I am well familiar with the Poetry Month Blues. Every April--same. This year is no different. You really can't go wrong with a Kooser poem. He is absolutely brilliant in his spare simplicity that makes me say, wow just about every poem I read of his. Thanks for hosting. I am glad things are looking up for you and I hope that you have fewer hard things facing you. Poetry helps. Thanks for being there with it today.
ReplyDeleteLinda, poetry helps indeed. ❤️ Thanks so much, and a ringing "Yes!" to everything you said about Kooser.
DeleteI'm sorry this has been such a challenging month. Thank you so much for sharing this Ted Kooser poem.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much, Elisabeth, and it's always a pleasure to share Kooser. :D
DeleteHi Karen! Thank you for hosting us with such a delightful Kooser poem. We can celebrate poetry any month we want. I hope things continue to look up. xo
ReplyDeleteTabatha, thanks so much, and yes, we can make any month Poetry Month, right? :D xo
DeleteThanks for hosting! I will award you 5000 bonus points towards your Poetry Month "grade" for generously inviting us over for a poetry party AND for the joy of a Ted Kooser poem.
ReplyDeleteI will take those 5000 bonus points, Mary Lee! Love it. xo
DeleteOh, Karen, yes I feel this! I'm doing my normal poetry stuff, but nothing particularly special this month. I keep telling myself revising my novel-in-verse IS my poetry month project. :)
ReplyDeleteAnd I love me some Ted Kooser poetry! Thanks for hosting!
Marcie, I would say that revising your novel-in-verse is TOTALLY your poetry month project! And a beautiful project it is! Keep going! ❤️
DeleteMuch love to you and your family, Karen, as you navigate this time. May spring bring with it newness and even more hope.
ReplyDeleteTed Kooser is so human. I love this one and am going to copy it into my allmashedup notebook. As I round this bend of 52, there is so much to think about.
Thank you for making the time to host us all today. May the rest of your Poetry Month be nourishing.
xo
Thanks, Amy. Here's to newness and hope, much needed right now. And yes, I love Kooser's beautifully human words. I, too, have a lot of allmashedup notebooks. Love that. (At 62, I can relate to your words, plus some. ;)) xo
DeleteThere is no failing for NPM! You're here. You're alive. You love poetry. It's enough. Thank you for hosting! xo
ReplyDeleteAh, yes, enough. ❤️ Thank you, Irene! xo
DeleteThank you for being here and for the poem, which is new to me, too. Not Having Nearly Enough Time is a common issue, so do keep being kind to yourself. I'm glad things are looking up. Luck to you!
ReplyDeleteThanks, JoAnn! It's a universal thing, isn't it? :)
DeleteOh golly--I must not be as old as I've been feeling, because my notebooks seem to need more and more sections and the dividers aren't doing their job anymore! Thanks for hosting, Karen, and I wish you and yours more of things looking up.
ReplyDeleteHa, Heidi, you made me laugh about the need for more sections and dividers. :D It reminded me of a memoir-writing class I watched online (by Mary Karr) in which she talked about keeping multiple notebooks, all with dividers and ideas. My notebook systems are kind of a mess, lol.
DeleteI can SO relate to this, Karen! Like Ted Kooser (GREAT poem choice for today!) I only have room for a few "subjects" in my notebook now, so I decided to let go of the "should" guilt and do what I can. (I've "recycled" a 2012 haiku and given it new art.) Hugs!
ReplyDeleteAnastasia, recycling is totally legit! :) Also, who among us even remembers something from 2012? Lol. You get extra points for adding new art. :)
DeleteI'm sorry for your difficulties and pray things are better soon.
ReplyDeleteI resolved to try to do NaPoWriMo this year and write a poem a day and I did really well the first two weeks and then things fell apart. But hey, that's still poetry written, right?
I love this poem. My notebook of choice is usually the five subject spiral, the smaller size, not the 8.5x11 size. Something about those dividers I find comforting even if they aren't actually organizing anything.
Thanks, Melanie! Yes, that's still two weeks of writing poetry! Huzzah! I have so many different kinds of notebooks. Sometimes I wish I'd been totally consistent over the years but maybe ever-changing notebook styles are a sign of ever-changing life.
DeleteOh, Karen, I am sorry to hear things have been hard🙏🏽 Praying for you and yours that the next turn in the road brings more light and less woe.🕯
ReplyDeleteI've been sailing rough seas myself and mumbling a lament that I have not blogged all month, meaning no weekly BookNotes, alas. Maybe next week ...
Where would we be without poetry!? Each day I dip into one treasure book or another, sipping one poem or two. Ballast, for hard rowing.
🕊
Thanks so much, Penelope. xo Prayers coming back your way as well. Yes, where would be without poetry? It can keep me afloat.
DeleteThank you for hosting, for introducing me to a wonderful poem, and for reminding me of the possibilities a notebook offers. I hope things lighten up for you soon and that you are giving yourself a pass in the meantime. It's a good reminder for me.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Karin, and I'm always thrilled to introduce anyone to a Ted Kooser poem. :)
DeleteThanks for hosting anyway, Karen. I'm always super busy this month, too, and the only way I get by is finding a SHORT form and writing in bulk, fiddling and editing the days I post. It's not at ALL the way I want to do something for the month, but I am mid-revisions for another novel, and can't take the time. It's always something!
ReplyDeleteMeanwhile, I'm gaining such an appreciation for Ted Kooser! We read his The Poetry Home Repair Manual in my writing group, and it's a real gem.
Be well. Here's hoping you see a bit of sunshine and springtime coming your way today.
Tanita, the fact that you are mid-revision for another novel trumps everything else. :) That's so exciting, and I can't wait to pre-order the next gem, whenever that will be! Thanks for the sunny wishes. xo
DeleteKaren, I hear you with your case of the blues. I tell myself that sometimes we are meant to just take in life like a container and sometimes we are meant to write to it down. Sometimes after the pause comes the poetry.
ReplyDeleteThank you for hosting, Karen. It's great to be here. (And I always enjoy a little Ted Kooser. He makes me think my spiral notebooks should be a bit more profound.)
"...like a container." Yes. :) Thanks, Cathy. ❤️
DeleteKaren, I'm sorry for the recent hardships. We are SO hard on ourselves. Let's say I'm re-evaluating my own NPM choices. My project is way too complex--though it sounded fun at first. And with everything else going on this spring--some things great and some things very stressful--it just feels like too much. It always seems like everyone else effortlessly pulls off these amazing Poetry Month things. I don't know how they do it.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, thank you for hosting and for this wonderful Kooser poem. Those porpoises!
Thank you, Laura. I don't know how others do it either! Different seasons, yes? And yes, we are too hard on ourselves sometimes, aren't we? I know exactly what I'd say to a friend, so it's been lovely to read through these comments and hear all my poetry friends saying the same thing to me. :) Thank you for chiming in with encouragement! Wishing you relief from the stressful things this season. xo
DeleteThank you for hosting, Karen! I hope things get easier for you in the coming days. Ted Kooser is one of my favorite poets, but this poem is new to me. I love new notebooks and the promise of the wonders we will fill them with.
ReplyDeleteOh my! I LOVE my spiral-bound notebooks! It is me, gazing for ... too many minutes? in the aisle of office supplies, discerning the pros and cons of single or multi-subject spirals. NEVER wide-rule. NEVER.
ReplyDelete