Poetry Reading -who goes to those sorts of things…??

In truth I am impressed by those who write poetry.  My sense of poetry has always been with the concept that poetry should have a sense of rhyme and kind of bounce to it with some sort of cadence.  I’ve had a  tendency to shy away from those poems that didn’t fit into the rhythm and rhyme sense of verse so tonight was definitely a night which challenged those predetermined ‘needs’.

I was invited to support a local poet from my aquatic-therapy class ( this poet is also in the aqua- therapy class).  I had wavered on my commitment to meet with two friends from the class.  Poetry reading! I’ve never intentionally gone to such an event.  Tonight was a definite treat and I am grateful I was willing to allow myself to partake and enjoy the fruits of two very talented poets as they painted vibrant pictures with their  a rich landscape of words.

The two poets we heard from were Ellen Bass & Chana Bloch.  Listening to these two poets read their work took me past my preconceived notions that poems must be based on rhyme to be good or enjoyable.  Two masters at the art of painting with words took us on a journey through different phases of their life.

The poetry Ellen read seemed based on relationships and maybe a sort of advice.  Her descriptive words captivated and drew me into her world even when I would have preferred to have not been drawn in so far.  (Her poem ‘What did I love‘ about her participating in the killing of the chickens she would eat was more descriptive than I would prefer on this subject but certainly worthy of a listen or a read before your next chicken dinner).  I enjoyed her poetry and her descriptions as needed preceding and following that set the appropriate stages.  A canvas full of a vast array of colour was painted with her words and descriptions.

Chana’s poems brought you to a destination.  The poems she read took you to a landscape and point in time.  Her family roots in Russia and her Jewish background set most of the stage.  I appreciated the subject matters and the brevity of her words.  Chana’s poems (at least the ones shared) concisely illustrated her story.  I didn’t feel like there was a landscape of millions of colours presented before me in her words but rather an honest, to the point, journey and resulting destination.

Chana and Ellen are clear masters at their craft with the outstanding ability to captivate and paint with words. These two incredibly talented women with  diverse styles, opened my eyes to and ears, to a renewed appreciation and respect of poetry and the poets.