Three poems from Josh's blog

I recently posted three poems on Josh's blog….

To The Young who Want to Die by Gwendolyn Brooks

The Facade by Sue Anderson

His Park by Sue Anderson

Introduction to Poetry by Billy Collins

I plan to deviate from my normal monthly blog posts by focusing on poetry for the rest of March and all of April.  A couple of days ago, without any thought of doing this or that April is National Poetry Month,  I ordered severals books by Billy Collins.  A U.S. Poet Laureate from 2001 - 2003 and for NY State from 2004 - 2006, his poetry is witty, whimsical, thought-provoking and most important to me as a novice poetry reader: accessible.  Case in point - read below.

INTRODUCTION TO POETRY 

By Billy Collins

in Poetry 180: A Turning Back to Poetry

An anthology of contemporary poems selected by Billy Collins

I ask them to take a poem

and hold it up to the light

like a color slide

or press an ear against its hive.

I say drop a mouse into a poem 

and watch him probe his way out,

or walk inside the poem's room

and feel the walls for a light switch.

I want them to waterski

across the surface of a poem

waving at the author's name on the shore.

But all they want to do

is tie the poem to a chair with rope

and torture a confession out of it. 

They begin beating it with a hose

to find out what it really means.