Poetry is ...

I've recently been enjoying podcasts of The Writer's Almanac. Hosted by Garrison Keillor, these 5-minute daily segments start with a chronicle of writers who share that birthday and a brief statement about the writer. Keillor also notes anniversaries of important events that changed the world. Then he'll give a slightly longer bibliographic note about one writer in particular. The podcast ends with the reading of a poem.

Earlier this month, a poet who was one of my college writing instructors was the featured poet of the day. His poem is about a hummingbird at his feeder. You can read Bob's poem, Mammoth, on the podcast website.

After listening to several of these broadcasts in a row, I found myself clicking away at my keyboard, finding out more about the poets. That, in turn, led to dinging around poetry websites and running into quotations about poetry ... what it is, what it aspires to be, why writers choose this form, etc.

So for the next few days, I plan to share some of these ideas about poetry, and perhaps a verse or two.

I lived and breathed literature as a college undergraduate. I forget, sometimes, just how much I love the poetic form. When I get a taste of it, the memories and love of words flood back through me. I jump back in fully clothed and immerse myself in the language gel of image and idea.