Perhaps I should divide all my poetry--all my writing--into two new blogs (1) Personal and (2) Political. Poems like Kitchen Eden and At the Train Station are more personal; and titles like Origami Memories and Kindness are more political. To obscure the edges a little and accept that the line between the personal and the political isn't clear cut, I might call the personal blog "Life Goes On" and the political one "Urgency." Or maybe the opposite.
The question came up for me today when contemplating how to select poems for my first to-be-published collection. I was never one to separate the personal and the political, though some of my writing provides more story-like detail and some less. Readers seem evenly split on whether they enjoy the specifics or generalizations more. I like best how the personal writing can be read allegorically and politically, though at times readers miss the larger relevance. Recently, Friends Journal rejected three poems because my writing is "too personal."
I have been thinking of gathering my poems that reference childhood to create a collection I could call Child Play or Sun Fishing. But would that contain enough urgency? And is there any reason to publish anything anymore that is not urgent? I am, of course, asking again, why write, what is this Way that God has opened before me, here and now?
If anyone has the answer, please help me along the Way to enlightenment! It may be that the question needs a committee for clearness. It may be that I should just do it, something, anything--and then wait and see.
2 comments:
too personal...well i rather like the personal...though a political statement is def a fun one as well...i dunno...some of the junk that makes journals concerns me anyway to be quite honest with you...i think that in many ways there can be much depth that is often overlooked by the casual reader of poetry...the scary thing for me is when you start dissecting your poetry and parcing it out the reader does not get a full picture of you either...i dont have a clear answer for you as i just toss mine in a blender and let it fly all over the walls...smiles.
Well, first off, the rejection is based solely on personal preference. What one editor calls too personal might be just the right fit for another. I think you should write and choose for your collection, title included, what feels right for you. Some will like it, some won't... tis the way of a writer's life. BTW, Sun Fishing sounds authentic and sparks my curiosity.
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