lines from Jack Gilbert

We find out the heart only by dismantling what
the heart knows. By redefining the morning,
we find a morning that comes just after darkness.
We can break through marriage into marriage.
By insisting on love we spoil it, get beyond
affection and wade mouth-deep into love.
We must unlearn the constellations to see the stars.

- Jack Gilbert, from his poem "Tear it Down" (The Great Fires)

His bio does not include that he was a visiting professor some years ago for Eastern's MFA program. After he left, Jonathan Johnson took over that office...and I've sat in there many times. Good vibes there. Now Nance has that office and Jonathan, now Program Director, gets one next to the main office...in case you were wondering.

halfway over

...so it's National Poetry Month, the "official" celebration that happens every April. Though some of us breathe and live poetry all the time through a combination of reading it, writing it, thinking about it. Even when I'm reading a great novel or book of non-fiction, I'm still considering the lyricism of the author's language, figurative language, what kind of spin-off image or poem could occur.

The past few nights I've had some really lucid images in my mind while drifting off to sleep. The first time it happened, a really strange and beautiful image came to me in an entire line. I remember feeling really cool I had thought of it, and that I should write it down. But I was so cozy. The bed was warm, my husband was in a deep sleep and I was only a few seconds behind him. I didn't disturb my sleep to write it down. I actually said in my head, "This is so good, I won't forget this line." Zzzzzzzzz.....Zzzzzzzz.....

I still can't remember that damn good line. But last night, it happened again. "White ducks lined up like mannequin heads"...or something like that, at least that's how it started. I was half-asleep, but still able to think: "Ok, the lucid lines are starting to come. Let them." And then words started building into complete lines! I didn't want to turn on the light. I didn't want to move at all. I wished for a dictaphone to appear on my nightstand. I'm such a slave to my art, to my calling...obviously.

But I didn't want to miss the chance of writing that one really great poem that would be "the one" to first get published in a national literary magazine. (Oh, the ambitious hope I have!)

So I did it--turned on the light, grabbed the ballpoint pen by my clock, and scribbled on the back of a library check-out receipt until I had no more room.

What I read in the morning was a little...well, odd. I still need to sort it out. The World's Greatest Line of Poetry Conceived While Half-Asleep is not going to premiere today.

So sad.

But do read a great poem today.

we all know one, don't we?

(I couldn't wait for another day to post this.)

"Regurgimailer: people who forward to everyone they know everything that lands in their in-boxes. Warnings about techniques that rapists use in parking lots; photos of adorable missing children; heart-warming lists of why women and their friendships are so wonderful; jokes about, well, everything. The fact that most of the items either have been traveling the Internet for years or turn out not to be true, or both, does not stop them. A word to regurgimailers — check Snopes.com before you forward, please." - from LISA BELKIN's article

True finding: People from North Dakota are especially prone to this, as I usually get everything they send to my mom--another ND native.

drinking coffee in Spokane

Today: Hung out with "Wide-Eyed" today for some good coffee, a walk through the park, and stimulating conversation. Colorado is lucky to have her. Rebecca for Poet Laureate in 2021!

New in the book-bag this week:

• Anne Lamott's Plan B: Further Thoughts on Faith
• ZZ Packer's Drinking Coffee Elsewhere
• 100 Essential Modern Poems, an anthology created by Joseph Parisi
• The Best American Poetry 2005
• Denise Levertov's New & Selected Essays
• The ASJA Guide to Freelance Writing
• Handbook for Freelance Writing, by Michael Perry

This afternoon: I read (quite loudly) some Yusef Komunyakaa poems on the corner of Main and Washington in front of Auntie's Bookstore while standing on top of a milk crate, as part of the Milk Crate Readings for Get Lit! In addition, I helped pass out festival programs to pedestrians (and a few drivers) with two other poets.

If you live near Spokane, Wash., you should go to at least one event--some are free or low-cost, others are worth the ticket price. Embrace a spirit of literacy! This is, like, one of the coolest things that happens every year in Spokane. Last year I met Rita Dove, Robert Bly, and David Sedaris at Get Lit! This year I'm attending the Yusef reading and Nancy Pearl event.

Writing Biz:
An interesting NYT's article, "This Boring Headline is Written for Google", about how headlines are used to generate internet traffic via search engine listings.

* * *
And finally, here's my list of recommended places to drink coffee (while writing) in Spokane:

1. Rockwood Bakery - Excellent lattes every time; delicious baked goods with half-price deals for day-old muffins and scones; great people-watching opportunities; free parking; a plethora of tables; friendly staff. Kids love coming here, too, because of their huge chocolate chip cookies and decorated seasonal cupcakes! A relaxing place to get some writing done. Their drip coffee is only $1.35 with 25-cent refills. I'm not sure if they exclusively sell Craven's Coffee

2. Starbucks - Like most major cities, there are very many locations to choose from. Some stores are not big enough to handle the number of people who want to linger for hours and write on a laptop or do homework. Sometimes fellow patrons can be fairly loud, and the crowded stores can be too chatty for reading/writing--rather than a dull background noise, it can sound like a sporadic conversational party. Great for stealing dialogue if you can pick out specific comments.

3. The Empyrean Coffeehouse - Hosts poetry readings,concerts, mini art gallery, serves individualized French Press coffee, as well as alcohol and good food. Lots of space to hang out, which seems to attract a large adolescent crowd to this downtown venue. I'm glad kids have a cool place to go, but they can be a little too rowdy for an otherwise laid-back coffeehouse culture--especially when Saturday evening poetry readings are taking place. Finding nearby parking can be difficult. Meters free after 6pm and all day Sunday.

4. Lindaman's - Delicious lattes, gourmet food, and it's okay to just get a coffee and hang out for awhile and write. The barista man creates really neat designs in your milk foam.

...But then again, you could make your own coffee at home and write at your table. That sounds like a good deal, especially when a coffee shop owner says this: “...the profit margins are the highest in the food industry. You can make a 16-ounce cup of mocha for 55 cents and sell it for $3.25 or $3.50.” - Okay then...who wants to go to the new Coffee Deluxe.

recently published

My book review of Joe Williams' book.

Also, my interview article with former Olympian and Bloomsday race director Don Kardong.

out of silence

Then

When I am dead, even then,
I will still love you, I will wait in these poems,
When I am dead, even then
I am still listening to you.
I will still be making poems for you
out of silence;
silence will be falling into that silence,
it is building music.

- Muriel Rukeyser

Considered one of the prominent foundational poets in the feminist school of poetry, Rukeyser is probably largely unknown to non-MFA readers of poetry. Out of Silence: Selected Poems is an excellent book to own. In this poem above, I like to think she's speaking to all the future women poets--her "daughters", so to speak, as if we could channel her like a muse--as well as her son and loved ones.