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As you may suspect, I am not a good reader of poetry. Despite the efforts of our book club’s organizer in getting us poetry books from time to time, I just don’t like it, but this hasn’t made me give up (yet), because I *know* there must be something out there for me. My relationship with poetry is kind of a challenge, and I think perseverance will be the key.
Anyway, some days ago I had the irrepressible need for browsing in the poetry section of the library (this is a reconstruction, as Offred from The handmaid’s tale would say), and I borrowed this book: the complete poetry work of John Berger, an author I knew from an epistolary novel I have read recently (From A to X).
So the experience has been… uneven. But this is due to the different themes presented on the book: rural life, death, war, emigration and, of course, love. Taking into account that my aim in life is to seek romance, I think I might have enjoyed some of the love ones.
Shirt on the chair
My heart born naked
was swaddled in lullabies.
Later alone it wore
poems for clothes.
Like a shirt
I carried on my back
the poetry I had read.So I lived for half a century
until wordlessly we met.From my shirt on the back of the chair
I learn tonight
how many years
of learning by heart
I waited for you.
This bilingual edition also contains a CD with the author reading some of his poems, and it has been nice to listen to them since they sound so much better than the “in-my-head-English”, as I call it.
So it has been a good experience after all; poetry requieres extra effort because it’s not easy to fully concentrate in every line, but want to keep trying. One book at a time.
PS: I’m not rating this book because I still don’t know how to rate poetry.
PS2: For those interested in poetry books, I recommend Lianne’s series of post titled “So you want to read poetry”, with recommendations on this genre.
PS3: This book made me add a touch of poetry in my postcards, too 🙂
Your postcards are so pretty!!
Thanks, Natasha! I love to make my own postcards, envelopes and such 🙂
As you know, I love poetry! I enjoy thought provoking poetry, especially about life, self esteem and personal experiences. I don’t love romantic poetry that much, but I still enjoy reading it. Maybe one day you’ll find yourself appreciating poetry more 🙂 If not, that’s also fine.
I hope you’re right about me appreciating poetry more.
In any case, I’ll keep on trying.
So bad you don’t like romance!! How can that be possible!!! 😉
I know you are a fan of romance, haha. I like romantic poetry too, but I prefer the ones about life and introspection.
Aww, thanks for the shoutout :3
Great review, Isi! I haven’t read anything by this poet so I’ll have to keep a lookout for his work. Poetry reading can be a pretty uneven experience; it’s been rare where I’ve loved or found myself completed absorbed in a collection of a poet’s body of work from start to finish. And yeah, it is hard to rate poetry collections, I think my rating of them has been pretty arbitrary to date xD But I’m glad to hear that your overall experience with this collection was a good one!
Thanks, Lianne! Yes, I want to keep on trying and be surprised or not for what I find in the library; it’s a good way to start. Eventually, I will know which authors and themes I like most, I guess.