Workshop

Collins, Billy. “Workshop.” The Oxford Book of American Poetry. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2006. 954.

I love poems that make me smile. The ones that seem like someone standing close, elbow to elbow, telling me something special. A conversation between pals. “Workshop” is such a poem. It’s the guy with the great sense of humor taking the time to tell me a joke (Billy was called the class clown of poetry somewhere). Read “Workshop” outloud and you will see what I mean. It’s a poet ranting about his own poem. A poem within a poem Shakespeare style…
Here are the phrases I loved:
“It gets me right away” (only because I identify with something getting me – an awesome drum fill, the right amount of Tabasco on my pizza, my husband’s voice when he’s tired…)
“the ancient mariner grabbing by the sleeve”
“the poem is blowing pipe smoke in my face”
“and maybe this is just me”
“a very powerful sense of something”
Before I quote the entire poem I’ll quit here. But, you see what I mean. It’s a conversational, easy going poem that’s really fun.

BookLust Twist: From where else? Of course it’s from More Book Lustin the chapter (you guessed it) “Poetry Pleasers” (p 188).