Poetry class

So now I'm taking a poetry class. My friend cajoled me into signing up, because her cousin is teaching it and she was afraid it wouldn't run from having too few students, and also she has a student in it who's working on a suite of poems and needed some feedback. I was a bit dubious because I have a history of not really "getting" poems, and I didn't write anything before my first class because I didn't know what I could subject the group of strangers to, but I went to my first one on Monday (missed the first two because I was away), and it was really fun! I do of course know the basics of rhyme, rhythm, assonance, consonance, etc. - all those hours studying for the AP English test weren't completely lost on me, you know. And I have a good enough eye and ear so when the teacher puts an example in front of you, you can sort of work out what's good about it. And at least one in the class hasn't got the hang of "show don't tell", so I won't be the most hopeless one there, although I anticipate being somewhat hopeless because everyone's either retired or in high school, no one else has the commitment of a full-time job like me so they will be able to spend lots more time.*

We read two poems that were really good, and I highly recommend checking them out. One is a famous one called "Question" by May Swenson, which is the second one on this page:
http://library.wustl.edu/units/spec/reading/swenson/swen-sloan.html

And the other one was a Poem of the Day recently from poets.org, and is just a cracker: "In Michael Robins’s class minus one" by Bob Hicok, hot off the press in January of this year:
http://www.poets.org/sponsor-book-profile.php/prmBookID/343/prmSponsorID/152

You might notice a theme in both of these poems, and in fact that theme ran through ever poem on the night, including the six student works we read - yep, all poems are about death. I'm going to see if I can write some that aren't, and I'll post my attempts here (so you can criticise and give me tips if you want to), but maybe for something as arty and emotional as poetry, death is the only subject big enough for it?

More as it happens!

(Oh but btw I haven't forgot about opera - was on the Opera Australia site today and wishing I had $2000 spare so I could subscribe to the season that starts in June!)

*On time, it's been feeling really scarce lately, just like money, and like money I'm sure I actually have plenty of it, I'm just not being sensible with it. Since I got home I've been in a state where I can't seem to motivate myself to get anything done - even dishes, laundry, getting up and turning off the tv, etc. Am I depressed? Maybe. But more likely I've still got jet-lag - I've only been home for one week - and I will feel back to normal soon.