an enormous boon

Susie and I were talking about poetry earlier, and she said that she didn't give a shit about all the "pretty" language in poetry because it just doesn't make her feel anything. I agreed, adding that I really like honesty, and a sort of rawness in the poetry I like to read.

Some people who are doing interesting things with poetry are Poncho Peligroso, Steve Roggenbuck, Spencer Madsen, Brett Gallagher, Matthew Savoca, Kerry G, Blake West, Ana C, Zachary German etc. This is a scene of young poets who all vaguely know of each other and who all write interesting poetry. Feel like this poetry revolution was started by Tao Lin or something. Also feel like most people on newwavevomit.com are very good.

Poetry has to change with the times, as everything else does. That's why it makes sense that these people I have mentioned are writing the way they are. They are doing it right. I mean, as much as we can appreciate the poetry of Shelley and Byron, how they wrote was largely a product of the time they lived in. So it is with how we write; we are misanthropic 20-somethings who use the internet a lot, and our poetry reflects this.

I was also thinking about what poetry is because of what Joseph wrote on his blog. Felt that I couldn't really articulate what I thought poetry was or how I could help him to better understand what poetry is. I think that you have to make your own definition of what poetry is. You have to mold poetry into whatever shape you feel most comfortable with. Your poetry is not about what other people think poetry is, your poetry is about you and how you feel in that moment. Of course to write like this, and if you want to publish your poetry, you have to be willing to share very private parts of yourself with strangers. I've never really had much of a problem with this, because it's just another way to connect with people, a way that I feel is difficult to achieve irl. In writing poetry there should be a compulsion, a feeling of coming home, an effortlessness. Poetry is comforting to me. Whenever something bad happens I start to write a poem in my head about it and it makes me feel better. You are taking all of the heartache and the pain and the awkwardness and making it into something else, something positive. Poetry is a good thing in my life, and it could be a good thing in your life too. Look into it maybe.