POETRY IS NOT FOR GROWNUP GROWNUPS
So. I know this girl who lives in the Philippines. She is my friends ex girlfriend. She is ridiculously famous down there, a performance poet, musician, etc. In June, she took some of my poems and some of my songs and went over them with a class she was teaching. I was fucking taken aback, confused, bewildered, flattered, embarrassed, enticed, by it all. I made her send me some of their responses to her questions about my work. Here's what she sent me :
Poem: "Perfection" by Jordan Eskenazi
I don’t care for your opinion of the poem, but the poem worthily cares for your opinion of it. Answer the following questions based on the idea that the poem itself -- not me, or the poet who wrote it -- will read your answers. Stab it. See if it stabs you back. If brutality doesn’t suit you at the moment, don’t bother.
1. Given that the Brechtian future of "Vefremdungseffekt" is now, and poems could finally walk and talk, would you take it out on a date? If so, where would you go?
The poem is a frustrated woman. Someone who might castrate me while I'm sleeping. It is mysterious and disturbing. But that's exactly why I'd take it out. I think it/she needs to talk with my grandmother.
2. Arnaud Daniel discovered the sestina. Giacomo de Lentino invented the sonnet. Jean Passerat created the villanelle. Given that "Perfection" is a quatrain in the most unconventional sense, what did Mr. Eskenazi invent through his poem?
An emo-quatrain.
3. Recall Mr. Eskenazi’s songs which we finished listening to 5 minutes before reading his poem. Hum or sing a tune leftover in your head. Whether he’s writing in free verse, in forms, or in song, Mr. Eskenazi’s love for the rhythm of language is evident. Occasionally making use of neologisms and what contemporary poet Stuart Dybek coins as “post colloquial vernacular” language, do you believe that this poem is a reflection of Mr. Eskenazi himself?
"Every time I see your face, I don't see your face..." I think the poem is a reflection of the poet but not a reflection of his songs. The poem and the songs are not friends. The poet has 2 sides and 2 personalities.
4. What type of relationship do they have?
The poet's relationship with the poem is a past relationship. The poet doesn't love the poem anymore, but the poem wants the poet back.
***Take a break from poetry and writing for a while. Purposely go and do something you haven’t done for a long time, something that has nothing to do at all with Mr. Eskenazi's poem. Skip stones across the pond outside this venue. Pretend you’re a child again and roll over in the mud. Walk to the ice cream vendor and get two cones, then eat them both yourself. Do whatever you want for 15 minutes (I don’t care). If you happen to return here, continue answering.***
5. I believe that writers don’t stop writing, even without a pencil or word processor in hand. There’s a famous anecdote about James Thurber where he’s standing among friends in the middle of a drunken party, and he goes suddenly quiet for a moment -- his wife storms up and hisses, “Thurber! Stop writing!” ... If there is truth to this belief, how many times -- in the duration of the 15 minutes you “disconnected” from Mr. Eskenazi's poem -- did you think about it? What does that tell you?
I thought about the poem while in the little boy's room. It makes me want to write. That tells me that the poem really is a disturbing woman who wants to haunt me til the day I die.
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1. Given that the Brechtian future of "Vefremdungseffekt" is now, and poems could finally walk and talk, would you take it out on a date? If so, where would you go?
Hello, poem. You are a sad, sad person. I hope you aren't sad anymore, even if i would never go out with you because you're too complicated for me. No offense.
2. Arnaud Daniel discovered the sestina. Giacomo de Lentino invented the sonnet. Jean Passerat created the villanelle. Given that "Perfection" is a quatrain in the most unconventional sense, what did Mr. Eskenazi invent through his poem?
A confessional poem with shades of Edgar Allan Poe and a depressed Wilde.
3. Recall Mr. Eskenazi’s songs which we finished listening to 5 minutes before reading his poem. Hum or sing a tune leftover in your head. Whether he’s writing in free verse, in forms, or in song, Mr. Eskenazi’s love for the rhythm of language is evident. Occasionally making use of neologisms and what contemporary poet Stuart Dybek coins as “post colloquial vernacular” language, do you believe that this poem is a reflection of Mr. Eskenazi himself?
"Perfection" by Mr. Eskenazi is a reflection of himself and his songs because they are all lonely and perplexed by the simplicity of the universe.
4. What type of relationship do they have?
A marriage with no room for a mistress.
***Take a break from poetry and writing for a while. Purposely go and do something you haven’t done for a long time, something that has nothing to do at all with Mr. Eskenazi's poem. Skip stones across the pond outside this venue. Pretend you’re a child again and roll over in the mud. Walk to the ice cream vendor and get two cones, then eat them both yourself. Do whatever you want for 15 minutes (I don’t care). If you happen to return here, continue answering.***
5. I believe that writers don’t stop writing, even without a pencil or word processor in hand. There’s a famous anecdote about James Thurber where he’s standing among friends in the middle of a drunken party, and he goes suddenly quiet for a moment -- his wife storms up and hisses, “Thurber! Stop writing!” ... If there is truth to this belief, how many times -- in the duration of the 15 minutes you “disconnected” from Mr. Eskenazi's poem -- did you think about it? What does that tell you?
15 times, once every minute. Ms. Syjuco was right in saying that the poem is like a self-inflicted bullet in the ankle. It's paralyzing to the point of regret. What does that tell me? It tells me that Mr. Eskenazi is a performance poet who deceives sadness with romance. It tells me that the world needs more poetry in song like this.
-------------------
1. Given that the Brechtian future of "Vefremdungseffekt" is now, and poems could finally walk and talk, would you take it out on a date? If so, where would you go?
Certainly not. It makes me queasy. I don't like clams.
2. Arnaud Daniel discovered the sestina. Giacomo de Lentino invented the sonnet. Jean Passerat created the villanelle. Given that "Perfection" is a quatrain in the most unconventional sense, what did Mr. Eskenazi invent through his poem?
NeoEnvoi.
3. Recall Mr. Eskenazi’s songs which we finished listening to 5 minutes before reading his poem. Hum or sing a tune leftover in your head. Whether he’s writing in free verse, in forms, or in song, Mr. Eskenazi’s love for the rhythm of language is evident. Occasionally making use of neologisms and what contemporary poet Stuart Dybek coins as “post colloquial vernacular” language, do you believe that this poem is a reflection of Mr. Eskenazi himself?
Yes, the poem is a reflection of Mr. Eskenazi and his songs. The use of the same characteristic speech and thought patterns belong to the same persona.
4. What type of relationship do they have?
Love-hate relationship. The kind that makes the world go round.
***Take a break from poetry and writing for a while. Purposely go and do something you haven’t done for a long time, something that has nothing to do at all with Mr. Eskenazi's poem. Skip stones across the pond outside this venue. Pretend you’re a child again and roll over in the mud. Walk to the ice cream vendor and get two cones, then eat them both yourself. Do whatever you want for 15 minutes (I don’t care). If you happen to return here, continue answering.***
5. I believe that writers don’t stop writing, even without a pencil or word processor in hand. There’s a famous anecdote about James Thurber where he’s standing among friends in the middle of a drunken party, and he goes suddenly quiet for a moment -- his wife storms up and hisses, “Thurber! Stop writing!” ... If there is truth to this belief, how many times -- in the duration of the 15 minutes you “disconnected” from Mr. Eskenazi's poem -- did you think about it? What does that tell you?
A lot of times. I texted my favorite line ("Your brain is a nest / a twig / a hummingbird") to you 15 times. I don't know what it tells me. Wait. It tells me that Mr. Eskenazi can work for a job where hopeless losers like myself can hire him to write poems to appeal to women's sympathy and make them fall in love. A lot like Shakespeare but colloquial.
Poem: "Perfection" by Jordan Eskenazi
I don’t care for your opinion of the poem, but the poem worthily cares for your opinion of it. Answer the following questions based on the idea that the poem itself -- not me, or the poet who wrote it -- will read your answers. Stab it. See if it stabs you back. If brutality doesn’t suit you at the moment, don’t bother.
1. Given that the Brechtian future of "Vefremdungseffekt" is now, and poems could finally walk and talk, would you take it out on a date? If so, where would you go?
The poem is a frustrated woman. Someone who might castrate me while I'm sleeping. It is mysterious and disturbing. But that's exactly why I'd take it out. I think it/she needs to talk with my grandmother.
2. Arnaud Daniel discovered the sestina. Giacomo de Lentino invented the sonnet. Jean Passerat created the villanelle. Given that "Perfection" is a quatrain in the most unconventional sense, what did Mr. Eskenazi invent through his poem?
An emo-quatrain.
3. Recall Mr. Eskenazi’s songs which we finished listening to 5 minutes before reading his poem. Hum or sing a tune leftover in your head. Whether he’s writing in free verse, in forms, or in song, Mr. Eskenazi’s love for the rhythm of language is evident. Occasionally making use of neologisms and what contemporary poet Stuart Dybek coins as “post colloquial vernacular” language, do you believe that this poem is a reflection of Mr. Eskenazi himself?
"Every time I see your face, I don't see your face..." I think the poem is a reflection of the poet but not a reflection of his songs. The poem and the songs are not friends. The poet has 2 sides and 2 personalities.
4. What type of relationship do they have?
The poet's relationship with the poem is a past relationship. The poet doesn't love the poem anymore, but the poem wants the poet back.
***Take a break from poetry and writing for a while. Purposely go and do something you haven’t done for a long time, something that has nothing to do at all with Mr. Eskenazi's poem. Skip stones across the pond outside this venue. Pretend you’re a child again and roll over in the mud. Walk to the ice cream vendor and get two cones, then eat them both yourself. Do whatever you want for 15 minutes (I don’t care). If you happen to return here, continue answering.***
5. I believe that writers don’t stop writing, even without a pencil or word processor in hand. There’s a famous anecdote about James Thurber where he’s standing among friends in the middle of a drunken party, and he goes suddenly quiet for a moment -- his wife storms up and hisses, “Thurber! Stop writing!” ... If there is truth to this belief, how many times -- in the duration of the 15 minutes you “disconnected” from Mr. Eskenazi's poem -- did you think about it? What does that tell you?
I thought about the poem while in the little boy's room. It makes me want to write. That tells me that the poem really is a disturbing woman who wants to haunt me til the day I die.
--------------------
1. Given that the Brechtian future of "Vefremdungseffekt" is now, and poems could finally walk and talk, would you take it out on a date? If so, where would you go?
Hello, poem. You are a sad, sad person. I hope you aren't sad anymore, even if i would never go out with you because you're too complicated for me. No offense.
2. Arnaud Daniel discovered the sestina. Giacomo de Lentino invented the sonnet. Jean Passerat created the villanelle. Given that "Perfection" is a quatrain in the most unconventional sense, what did Mr. Eskenazi invent through his poem?
A confessional poem with shades of Edgar Allan Poe and a depressed Wilde.
3. Recall Mr. Eskenazi’s songs which we finished listening to 5 minutes before reading his poem. Hum or sing a tune leftover in your head. Whether he’s writing in free verse, in forms, or in song, Mr. Eskenazi’s love for the rhythm of language is evident. Occasionally making use of neologisms and what contemporary poet Stuart Dybek coins as “post colloquial vernacular” language, do you believe that this poem is a reflection of Mr. Eskenazi himself?
"Perfection" by Mr. Eskenazi is a reflection of himself and his songs because they are all lonely and perplexed by the simplicity of the universe.
4. What type of relationship do they have?
A marriage with no room for a mistress.
***Take a break from poetry and writing for a while. Purposely go and do something you haven’t done for a long time, something that has nothing to do at all with Mr. Eskenazi's poem. Skip stones across the pond outside this venue. Pretend you’re a child again and roll over in the mud. Walk to the ice cream vendor and get two cones, then eat them both yourself. Do whatever you want for 15 minutes (I don’t care). If you happen to return here, continue answering.***
5. I believe that writers don’t stop writing, even without a pencil or word processor in hand. There’s a famous anecdote about James Thurber where he’s standing among friends in the middle of a drunken party, and he goes suddenly quiet for a moment -- his wife storms up and hisses, “Thurber! Stop writing!” ... If there is truth to this belief, how many times -- in the duration of the 15 minutes you “disconnected” from Mr. Eskenazi's poem -- did you think about it? What does that tell you?
15 times, once every minute. Ms. Syjuco was right in saying that the poem is like a self-inflicted bullet in the ankle. It's paralyzing to the point of regret. What does that tell me? It tells me that Mr. Eskenazi is a performance poet who deceives sadness with romance. It tells me that the world needs more poetry in song like this.
-------------------
1. Given that the Brechtian future of "Vefremdungseffekt" is now, and poems could finally walk and talk, would you take it out on a date? If so, where would you go?
Certainly not. It makes me queasy. I don't like clams.
2. Arnaud Daniel discovered the sestina. Giacomo de Lentino invented the sonnet. Jean Passerat created the villanelle. Given that "Perfection" is a quatrain in the most unconventional sense, what did Mr. Eskenazi invent through his poem?
NeoEnvoi.
3. Recall Mr. Eskenazi’s songs which we finished listening to 5 minutes before reading his poem. Hum or sing a tune leftover in your head. Whether he’s writing in free verse, in forms, or in song, Mr. Eskenazi’s love for the rhythm of language is evident. Occasionally making use of neologisms and what contemporary poet Stuart Dybek coins as “post colloquial vernacular” language, do you believe that this poem is a reflection of Mr. Eskenazi himself?
Yes, the poem is a reflection of Mr. Eskenazi and his songs. The use of the same characteristic speech and thought patterns belong to the same persona.
4. What type of relationship do they have?
Love-hate relationship. The kind that makes the world go round.
***Take a break from poetry and writing for a while. Purposely go and do something you haven’t done for a long time, something that has nothing to do at all with Mr. Eskenazi's poem. Skip stones across the pond outside this venue. Pretend you’re a child again and roll over in the mud. Walk to the ice cream vendor and get two cones, then eat them both yourself. Do whatever you want for 15 minutes (I don’t care). If you happen to return here, continue answering.***
5. I believe that writers don’t stop writing, even without a pencil or word processor in hand. There’s a famous anecdote about James Thurber where he’s standing among friends in the middle of a drunken party, and he goes suddenly quiet for a moment -- his wife storms up and hisses, “Thurber! Stop writing!” ... If there is truth to this belief, how many times -- in the duration of the 15 minutes you “disconnected” from Mr. Eskenazi's poem -- did you think about it? What does that tell you?
A lot of times. I texted my favorite line ("Your brain is a nest / a twig / a hummingbird") to you 15 times. I don't know what it tells me. Wait. It tells me that Mr. Eskenazi can work for a job where hopeless losers like myself can hire him to write poems to appeal to women's sympathy and make them fall in love. A lot like Shakespeare but colloquial.