21 April 2010

Finally, A Poem I Almost Understand

I subscribed to the Poem-A-Day feed so I could enjoy a little verse during National Poetry Month. However, most of what landed in my inbox was what I call "the new poetry" (anyone out there old enough to remember the new math?). It didn't have the structure or rhyming scheme that I'm accustomed to, and I didn't understand what most of them were about. Then the poetry gods shone down upon me and presented me with a Dorothy Parker poem, "The Passionate Freudian to His Love". I discovered several months ago that my taste in novels has gotten lighter; I think that my taste in poetry has strayed away from the deep symbolism, as well. Although I appreciate a well-turned phrase and the artful combination of words that intrigue the ear, at the end of the poem I want to understand what I read.

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