When poetry is on the menu how can you go wrong? There is such a bounty of poems, in the world, about our favorite pastime that you can have your pick and there’s plenty more where that came from! We have to start somewhere and that somewhere is right here.
The resource list, An April Quartet: Some Soprano Sops a Poem’s Bread (the Rising) offers an assortment, so to speak, of the ways in which a poet takes the meat of a poem and prepares a nourishing soup. Ok, maybe you would never make soup with meat. So, kind reader, I offer Philip Nikolaev’s Vegan Symphony #9 as an alternative to sate your appetite.
Either way, come hungry so that you can discover which ingredients excite your tongue, eye and ear. Sometimes, a title does the trick such as the perfectly titled Eating Poetry by Mark Strand. You can take a Poem in Noisy Mouthfuls and thank Chen Chen for not having to eat with your mouth closed!
Let’s not limit ourselves to “our own kind.” Check out I Could Chew on This and Other Poems by Dogs to get a canine perspective on dietary tastes.
Apples, enchiladas, gruel, rice, hot dogs, parsley and bananas are just some of the edibles that are the centerpiece of a poem for you to discover. This list includes poems found online and in e-books.
The Poetry Foundation has created Poetry and Food: A Collection, they should make that a banquet of poetry, for its offerings are not to be missed. Oh, and included on the booklist are two films just about poetry that I thought were important for you to experience.
A poem, at its best, is familiar and new, at the same time. Familiar words worked up into new confections can be surprising as you take in the ideas the poet is trying to deliver. Get ready to travel the poetic globe, find new cities, step back into the past and partake in the ordinary pleasure of being fed. May you come hungry and leave, just full enough, to come back for more.
This is one in a four-part series. Read An April Quartet, Part I: In Alto, Poets Face That Discordant Sound and stay tuned for two more posts.
~ posted by Chris
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