December 13, 2021

 December 13, 2021

I started following poetry accounts on Instagram, which goes against my general rules for following an Instagram account - no memes, images over text, and process over product. But now I’ve found that is one of the best ways to sample poetry. Captured as an image from a printed page you see it’s structure, but also the print pressed into fibers of a physical page, a page that may be yellowed with time, or carry the smudges of repeated reference. 

The other joy is it is a never ending anthology, each page giving me a taste of another poet. A quick quiet moment in my perpetual scroll, that sometimes causes me to pause, and think, and embrace the poem. Poetry can be intimidating, daunting, full of unfamiliar references, difficult to connect to beyond the words - but surprisingly, in my stumbling, I’ll find a poem that connects in ways I didn’t think possible, that its poet and I share a private history or understanding - the inside jokes leap from the page and I hunger for more. 

The unpopularity of poetry and the wisdom of librarians ensure that I can always find a book or two on the Libby app ready to check out and read. Today it’s Catherine Barnett. I am drunk on her words  - and maybe some bourbon. But I am enjoying all these serendipitous adventures.