Monday, January 16, 2012

"[R]ooted in the landscape and experience of Scotland. The poems are full of imagery and characters who remain almost at the edge of vision, not explained, just there"

Thanks to Juliet Wilson for her kind words about Vintage Sea on her blog here. Interesting that she assumed my poem We Met by a Charm of Crossbills recorded an actual experience of mine, not sure how she feels about the poem since I confessed I'd never seen a crossbill in my life!

6 comments:

Jim Murdoch said...

Yes, I struggle with that fact that so many people assume that as soon as you use the first person pronoun in a poem it automatically means it’s autobiographical. Also, even where there is an autobiographical element, it isn’t always what it seems; I have several poems where it appears I am talking about my father but—in my head—it’s actually my daughter talking about me. That’s why I finally decided to call my poetry collection This Is Not About What You Think.

Marion McCready said...

exactly!! but I wonder what difference it makes to readers. Juliet is big into birds and she liked that poem because she thought it was describing a real experience with crossbills but now that she knows it isn't, I get the impression that she can't now separate that knowledge from her reading of the poem which would make, I'm guessing, the poem now inauthentic to her.

James Owens said...

It's strange, isn't it?, that no one seems to make that assumption about fiction writers.

Titus said...

Lovely words from Juliet, but yes, doesn't the 'I' issue get complicated sometimes. Maybe something to do with poems seeking a truth makes people read them as the truth. Sometimes.

Marion McCready said...

yes, I suppose it part and parcel with idea of poetry being an 'elavated art form'. I know I tend to do it too when I read poems.

Marion McCready said...

james, blogger won't let me comment on your blog but I wanted to say how beautiful your snow pictures are, makes my heart ache to see that expanse of snow.