After Experience

[sachem_head]

When I first heard W.D. Snodgrass reading his poem, "After Experience Taught Me...", on the Poetry Off the Shelf podcast, I covered my eyes with my hands. I was walking my dog, I think. It's a very viscerally disturbing poem, as Snodgrass relates a military combat instructor teaching his soldier-students how to kill a man with their bare hands by

Comments

The virtue of good questions

[volksmarchinguy]

The ability to ask the good questions is both a gift and a practiced skill, worthy of the effort it takes.

A good questioner is very effective at building relationships because the questioner will not allow for the conversation to become one directional.

I need to do better at re-directing discussions through questions myself. I know better but....

Good luck!

"After Experience . . . "

[anonymous]

Hello,
I came across your mention of my late husband's poem, "After Experience..." and thought you might be interested to know that whenever he read it in public he would always introduce the poem by saying he is quoting both the hand-to-hand combat instructor and Spinoza literally. The reason he has the voices collide is that in terms of ideas they are saying the same thing: whatever you must do to save your life is justified. At the same time, the meaning is very, very different, given their distinctive voices.
Kathy Snodgrass

Re: "After Experience . . . "

[sachem_head]

Wow! Thanks for dropping by, Kathy. It's a great poem. I came across it when the "Poetry Off the Shelf" podcast did a program on it, with a recording of your husband reading the poem.