The madness of art

I've been meaning to write this post for a few weeks...April is National Poetry Month and I have only a few days left, so it's now or never. I really can't do this art form justice in a measly few paragraphs. I find myself always feeling defensive about poetry, as if it's my job to convert the world to a deeper understanding of this struggling art form. But throwing a few words or a description out is really no way to praise anything. Who was it that said the highest form of praise is enjoyment? Here's a few things of a poetical nature that I am enjoying these days:

A recent Poetry Slam at a local coffee shop. Picture this: folks of all ages lounge at tables sipping coffee or beer. At the front of the room a lone microphone. Poets take turns at the mic and are judged on content and delivery by randomnly-selected audience members. Deeply rooted in hip-hop tradition, slam poetry bursts with energy and I love the shared experience - imagine the thrill of a music concert - of seeing commonplace ideas come to life and connecting to the ideas and words along with other viewers.

In her book, Bird by Bird, Ann Lamott compares writing poetry to making messes. She laughs (at least I imagine her laughing as she wrote) at how we try to cage and control creativity as if it were a pile of dirty laundry to be neatly folded and tucked away. She encourages writers to makes linguistic messes, to explore the unknown. Linford Detweiler of the band Over the Rhine dubs uncertainty the "essential, inevitable, and all-pervasive companion to your desire to make art." He goes on to pen a blessing for writers: "May all your dead ends be beautiful."

Now for my own slightly exciting poetic news: I was published! Each April, The Birmingham Weekly publishes a poetry edition featuring Alabama poets. This year's edition hit the streets yesterday. Waiting to meet a friend for lunch today, I picked it up and started skimming through the poems. My eyes locked on familiar lines and then - no way - my name! Seriously? I submitted a few poems but had heard nothing back and assumed they had not been selected. I keep opening up the paper to make sure it's still there.... and not just a dream.

You can check out my poem on the Birmingham Weekly's online copy... just scroll down toward the bottom of the page
Birmingham Weekly - Poetry Edition