honest words

I have really enjoyed class so far.  Getting a chance to hear what other people thought of the poems we have read for the day as well as share my own thoughts has been great.  I only wish we had enough time to talk about them all!

         The poem that I have been thinking about the most was Shakespeare's "Sonnet 130".  Like we said in class, I really admired his ability to step outside of the typically idealization or glorification of ones lover.  His ability to humanize his lover and not only admit to her imperfections, but also admit to loving her imperfections, I thought to be so provocative and intriguing.  

         I am not going to lie; I have a hard time being sucked into 'mushy-gushy' stuff.  I find myself walking away from movies that become predictable with full-circle corniness and I even scold my own boyfriend for being too sweet sometimes.  Though I can admit to falling a bit weak in the knees when he says something that might come out of a Hallmark card, sadly enough what I find myself craving even more is when he picks on my little imperfections or idiosyncrasies.  What gets me instead of when of the sappy lines, is when he laughs at me and my silly ways yet still chooses to love me.  

         Because of my almost detest of this corny behavior/language, I find myself at times a bit it wary of poetry, or at least stereotypical "love poems".  Don't get me wrong, I adore words, and I admire any writers' ability to use them to 'paint a picture' so to speak.  Love poems can sometimes be wonderful in their own way I am sure.  However, what I felt myself so drawn to in Shakespeare's "Sonnet 130" was its honesty.  His honesty, for that matter, not just of his lover's physical and emotional attributes, but of the characteristics and irrationality of love.  

         Poetry, and writing in general for that matter, that makes you stop and say, “Yeah! That is so true!” is what grabs my attention the most. Writing that is honest, and you can relate to your own experiences on some level, but also make you see things in a new way are best to me.  So for these reasons and more, I fell for Shakespeare’s piece and also Harryette Mullen’s poems this week.