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The framing meta narrative as a biting critique of literary criticism makes it an interesting and funny read but the poetry itself is also beautiful and Nabokov has a way with words like none other…
“I was the shadow of the waxwing slain By the false azure in the windowpane; I was the smudge of ashen fluff -and I Lived on, flew on, in the reflected sky. And from the inside, too, I'd duplicate Myself, my lamp, an apple on a plate: Uncurtaining the night, I'd let dark glass Hang all the furniture above the grass, And how delightful when a fall of snow Covered my glimpse of lawn and reached up so As to make chair and bed exactly stand Upon that snow, out in that crystal land!”
Also recommend reading poetry out loud (to get a feel for its rhythmic nature) and subscribing to the poetry newsletter of The Paris Review they send you a poem every day!!
“I was the shadow of the waxwing slain By the false azure in the windowpane; I was the smudge of ashen fluff -and I Lived on, flew on, in the reflected sky. And from the inside, too, I'd duplicate Myself, my lamp, an apple on a plate: Uncurtaining the night, I'd let dark glass Hang all the furniture above the grass, And how delightful when a fall of snow Covered my glimpse of lawn and reached up so As to make chair and bed exactly stand Upon that snow, out in that crystal land!”
Also recommend reading poetry out loud (to get a feel for its rhythmic nature) and subscribing to the poetry newsletter of The Paris Review they send you a poem every day!!
Apr 1, 2024
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🏙Honestly a lot of poetry is hard to read and has all these layers which is awesome and makes poetry so cool but I don’t have an English instructor on hand to go line-by-line with me (I mean I kind of do my husband is one but that would be annoying so I don’t ask this of him). Anyway David Berman’s poetry has this, but it is also just beautiful and evocative on its surface and you don’t have to be that smart or good at reading poetry to like or understand it (though I’m sure a smart person who is good at reading poetry would get even more out of it).
So anyway maybe starting with something like this and then rereading it and finding those layers and getting that dopamine hit from understanding poetry but also building those skills and positive association with poetry before reading more challenging stuff. Just my dummy 2¢!
So anyway maybe starting with something like this and then rereading it and finding those layers and getting that dopamine hit from understanding poetry but also building those skills and positive association with poetry before reading more challenging stuff. Just my dummy 2¢!
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trying to consume more poetry nowadays too and receiving a daily poem in my mailbox has been v helpful in figuring out what speaks to me and what im not per se keen on. todays poem was a delight imo!
Apr 14, 2025
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Poetry is often short and so we just skim over it and are left underwhelmed. Sometimes we need to make ourselves hear and feel it more, I find that reading the poem out loud really helps with this! Also maybe try to find videos of poets reading their own poems. (I’ve attached a Mary Oliver reading, I’ve never met anyone who didn’t like Mary Oliver haha)
Also remember that “poetry” is such a huge and nebulous literary form and that you may well dislike a lot of it (I detest so much poetry that I find it a little embarrassing as a poet). Just because you don’t like a poem, or a hell of a lot of poems, doesn’t mean you don’t like poetry, you’ve just not found the poems you like. If you find one poem that you like, find more from that same poet. If you like a poet, look at who their fans like, or who the poet has cited as inspiration. You’re allowed to find lines you love but not like other lines in the same poem. It’s all worth it when you find one line that hits right through you. “you do not have to be good…you just have to let the soft animal of your body love what it loves”.
Also remember that “poetry” is such a huge and nebulous literary form and that you may well dislike a lot of it (I detest so much poetry that I find it a little embarrassing as a poet). Just because you don’t like a poem, or a hell of a lot of poems, doesn’t mean you don’t like poetry, you’ve just not found the poems you like. If you find one poem that you like, find more from that same poet. If you like a poet, look at who their fans like, or who the poet has cited as inspiration. You’re allowed to find lines you love but not like other lines in the same poem. It’s all worth it when you find one line that hits right through you. “you do not have to be good…you just have to let the soft animal of your body love what it loves”.
Top Recs from @taterhole
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It lends a reflective and wistful tone to written communications imo…
Jul 10, 2025
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My dad teases me about how when I was a little kid, my favorite thing to do when I was on the landline phone with somebody—be it a relative or one of my best friends—was to breathlessly describe the things that were in my bedroom so that they could have a mental picture of everything I loved and chose to surround myself with, and where I sat at that moment in time. Perfectly Imperfect reminds me of that so thanks for always listening and for sharing with me too 💌
Feb 23, 2025
May 28, 2025