I mean while sitting down and devoting deep thought and contemplation about the poets we were assigned, while I was at the laundromat, I have this to say:
Ted Berrigan-
I really enjoyed "Words for Love" especially the lines "At night, awake, high on poems, or pills or simple awe that loveliness exists, my lists flow differently." The poet seems enamored with lovely things rather than love itself and this was an unexpected twist to what I was expecting. There is a slight over-romantic feel and the poem ends on a somewhat somber note. "Bean Spasms" definitely uses full advantage of field-composition and the disjunctive nature of the poem makes it hard to follow.
Joseph Cervalo-
"Geological Hymn" feels like the theme lead on in the first sentence carries throughout. The nature imagery is very vivid but it comes from a space that seems to be irrelevant. There is consistency within the poem, not the type of consistency that I particularly enjoy, but it is definitely a running theme. "Pregnant, I Come" is a weird take on procreation or pregnancy and I don't think I have too much of a response to it. Use a condom when you are drinking, write poetry instead.
Bill Berkson-
In "Rebecca Cutlet" I found the last stanza to be the most alluring. It was very Being John Malkovich-y and I loved the description of the moist shaft that is caving in. "Melting Milk" was definitely not my cup of tea. It seemed like there were a lot of tangents within the poem and even after a few readings I couldn't get a solid grasp of a theme.
Clark Coolidge-
"Brill" and "Styro" were both all over the page, literally, but I found it easier to follow Styro probably because it was shorter. I'm not a big proponent of this style of poetry but am understanding to the experiment. I tried to read "On Introduction of the Hand" but looks deceived. Though that piece looked like more coherent phrases, each sentence is dribble. It might as well be thrown around the page like the others. I did enjoy "Noon Point" probably because before the second through fifth sentences confused me, the first sentenced lassoed me in with a chuckle.
Ron Padgett-
"Wonderful Things" and "Big Bluejay Composition" are stylistically intimidating if the reader isn't a fan of field composition, but after reading Wonderful Things, I learned that they weren't too bad. They could be rearranged to fit the more traditional poetic form, but Wonderful Things worked well for me as it was arranged. "Nothing in That Drawer" is unique and the shape of the poem is what is most alluring. The message is simple: it is an analogy for the endless struggle of benevolence vs. self entitlement in the 13th century Roman Priesthood; or something like that. "Falling in Love in Spain or Mexico" seemed like an exercise for Alysia's chapbook.
Lorenzo Thomas-
Thomas-Tommy...LT-TL...come on! Too easy. I loved the sarcasm in the piece and the sense of scrutiny toward poetry that "The Marvelous Land of Indefinitions" provides. "POETRY IS FULL OF LIES!" wonderful! I love how this is a poem about things that are more important than poetry.
The Bernadette Mayer poem "First turn to me" mixed with some Whitman poems could be considered soft-core poetic pornography. She is so descriptive and I really enjoyed how most of her descriptions of sex were stripped from the corny "love" and more focused on the physical and situational aspects that encompass a sexual encounter.
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