Poem (n.): A literary composition written with an intensity or beauty of language more characteristic of poetry than of prose.
Peeling (v.) To strip or cut away the skin, rind or bark from.
Peeling a Poem (v.) A poetry reading and critique by Donald Hall, Cynthia Huntington and Charles Simic at Plymouth State College.
Last Sunday an audience of poets and readers were treated to readings from three of New England’s best poets: Donald Hall, Cynthia Huntington and Charles Simic. The occasion was a program called Peeling a Poem, the third of its kind, as part of the Eagle Pond Author’s Series held annually at PSC. It brings some of the most talented and revered authors of our time to this campus.
With the lights up on the living room scene, the three maestros stepped casually through Hanaway Theater’s tall green curtain and to their chairs facing the audience. The format ran the same way as the previous two programs-each poet read his or her selected poem and then gave a brief critique or explanation followed by comments from the remaining panel poets.
The first to read was Donald Hall, the Mayor, as the Eagle Pond series is named after his home at Eagle Pond Farm in Wilmot, New Hampshire. Hall read The Return, by Ezra Pound, the way Pound meant it to be read. The 1999 PENWinship winner (for Without, published on the third anniversary of his wife, Jane Kenyon’s death) epitomizes what it means to be a poet. With his casual dress and almost musical voice he read through the poem with candor. “I love the sound of this poem,” he explained afterward while describing the poem’s rhythm like a dance teacher pounding the beat for his students. “I think it’s a shape and a movement that can apply to all sorts of things.” Simic and Huntington were also fans of the poem, citing its use of language. “When there’s a poem where the metaphor is really alive, it gives the reader the chance to go through [the writer’s door],” said Huntington.
Charles Simic, author of over sixty books and a Pulitzer Prize and Pen Award winner, read his selection, Celestial Music, by Louise Gluck. This poem was not as extraordinary as the other two, but Simic shared his love for it in spite of the dislike expressed by Hall and Huntington. Hall was particularly uninterested in this piece, saying, “when I read this poem I fall asleep…the language is boring until the last five lines.”
My favorite poem of the afternoon, and the focus of the most conversation was chosen by Cynthia Huntington, the Director Creative Writing and an English professor at Dartmouth. Her selection, called Facing It, was by Yusef Komunyakaa. This poem was about the literal and metaphorical reflections from the Vietnam War Memioral in Washington, D.C. By the end of her reading Huntington had begun to tear up, which is understandable since the poem pulls strongly on emotions.
The session continued with questions and comments from audience members. However, this year’s audience was more prone to commenting rather than questioning. It was common for some to share, almost force out, their opinions on each poem. Some audience members did ask questions, but perhaps didn’t realize that people will inevitably form their own opinions of a poem sometimes it’s best to listen to others’ opinions so every reading isn’t the same. Even though the end wasn’t the best it could be, the program was beneficial and reminded me why we write poetry.