Customer Reviews

The Trouble with Poetry and Other Poems

5 star:		(25)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

"The Trouble With Poetry," the title poem of Collins' most recent book, is not, as Auden and Frost complained, that it doesn't make a difference, but that it is so dynamic, so important, so chock-full of truth that we wish we had written it ourselves. This strong collection of new poems will leave you with just that sentiment, the "I wish I'd said that" moment when you spot something on the page that is so apt, that so perfectly captures a small (or not-so-small) truth about life, humanity, the human condition, dogs, or love that you covet it. Collins comes across as a friend to the reader, a congenial companion, never lecturing, always sharing, knowing that the shared "moments" are welcome. No wonder Collins has broken tradition and actually sold books, lots of books, during his career which includes being appointed Poet Laureate of the United States. He was our Poet on September 11, 2001, and when asked what poetry could help people ease their anguish, he said we could open any book of poetry and find comfort, because poetry by definition embraces and celebrates life, warts and all. Well, his does. Bravo.

Billy Collins has outdone himself. The Trouble with Poetry (brilliantly titled, yes?) will make you laugh, cry, and think. I just read a review criticizing Collins for his lack of complexity. Billy's LANGUAGE is simple, yes, but his poetry is not. It is straighforward, concise, and yet it packs a punch. Upon reading the nine-line poem "Carry", I found my eyes welling up, such was the pure emotion captured in those three stanzas. It is hard to read Collins when one is alone- the desire to get up out of your armchair and share your newfound treasures with the world is overhwelming.

Collins has a strong connection to Emily Dickinson, and in one of her poems she says, "I am older now, Master." Collins seems to be saying that "I am older now, Reader." The poems in this volume are still as elegant, but more solemn. Many of them are about taking the time to study the interior of his house, as thought this simple pleasure might not last forever. A stillness pervades some of the poems, almost a deathly stillness. This is a memorable volume, and definitely worth the wait.

I ran into Billy Collins in my AP English class and after a few poems fell in love with his simple yet thought provoking poems. So when I found out that we were required to read through a book of poetry (of our choice) and do a project on the book I was overjoyed. I have always been a big fan of poetry, and this was right up my ally.

So I went and bought this book and sat down and read each poem. I was enthralled by Billy Collin's ability to write wonderful, yet simple poetry. I never once needed a dictionary, nor did I need to search any obscure idea or allusion up on the web. I was forced to read through a few poems twice or three times to try and find all the emotions and thoughts that Mr. Collins was incorporating into each poem. But having to read a poem multiple times is not necissarily a bad thing; in my opinion it is a good thing that a poem can have the depth and enjoyability to require a second read.

I wish I could choose a poem to be my favorite from this book, but I just can not. I feel as if it would be unjust to select one poem from this book and say it was my favorite. But I will say that the first section is the most heavily annotated in my book, because I fell head first into each poem and would try and absorb every feeling, emotion, and thought the poem inspired. As the book continues my poems are gradually less annotated, until I was finally just marking my favorite lines and maybe a small note at the bottom of the page. I do not mean to discourage a reader from the second half of this book though, each poem is still wonderfully written.

I give this book 5 stars with ease. Whether you love poetry with every bit of your heart or are just starting to find a place in your heart for poetry you should pick this book up! And fall into Billy Collin's wonderful ability to captivate a reader and let them enjoy poetry without all the big words and complicated meanings that older poets flare their poems with.

I am a great admirer of Mr. Collins. His ability to write very personal poems that still manage to draw in the reader and be accessible is amazing. Plus, he has the great ability to use simple language to create powerful images. He uses this ability right at the opening of this volume in the wonderful lead poem, "You, Reader.": "I wonder how you are going to feel/when you find out/that I wrote this poem instead of you,//that it was I who got up early/to sit in the kitchen/and mention with a pen//the rain soaked windows,..."

There are a number of excellent verses in this book. Among the best are "Traveling Alone," "I Ask You," "Breathless," "The Introduction," and the title poem, "The Trouble with Poetry." But my favorite one in this collection is "The Lanyard." In this one, the poet comes across the word "lanyard" while browsing in the dictionary and this takes him back to when he made a lanyard for his mother at summer camp. This takes him to the heart of the poem, where the poet considers a boy's unequal relationship with his mother-- "She gave me life and milk from her breasts,/and I gave her a lanyard." He goes on in this incisive vein for awhile before finishing with an adult's understanding of a boy's foolishness. Not "that you can never repay your mother" but that, as a boy, he was sure the lanyard "would be enough to make us even." This is an insightful, moving poem.

Of course, when you deal with simple language and images, as Collins does, when you miss, you miss hard. There are plenty of poems in this book that don't do much for me but Collins remains consistent in his style which makes them easy enough to get through. I have yet to read a volume of poetry that hits the mark 100% of the time. Still, Collins hits the mark often enough to make me wait impatiently for each new collection.

All the poems are smooth and clever and slightly (or more than slightly) ironic. They sometimes make me smile, but they seldom make me feel much.

I was recently at a poetry reading Collins gave, where he was greatly applauded. He mentioned that sentimentality is a cardinal sin in poetry. That's true. But I couldn't emotionally connect to the self-consciously witty voices speaking out of his poems, and by the end of this collection I didn't really want to. When I first read Collins, I was hoping to find the accessible poet illuminating the everyday world I was promised. Instead, I found an extremely polished poet whose engaging tone almost makes up for his persistent lack of emotional depth. Sentimentality may be a poetic sin, but sincerity isn't.

Even funny poems should display a little emotional risk. But Collins never seems to risk anything. And because he takes small risks, we get small rewards.

Go ahead and get this book. Read it. Smile a bit. Appreciate the cleverness and talent Collins displays. These poems are likeable, and I wouldn't be surprised if you liked them. But if you are looking for poetry that will feed you, go somewhere else.

Your Chance to Hear The Last Panther Speak

The first book I bought by Billy Collins was "Sailing Alone Around The Room." I also have to say, that I believe Billy Collins work is not only an acquired taste, but something you have to really actually read, and then read slowly again. Having viewed some of the negative comments here I can only think perhaps where it seems he is not all that shocking in his writes, that perhaps they might think mine are too much so. But this is where it get's into style and I believe he is still true to form in "The Trouble With Poetry." One in particular that stands out to me is 'Statues in the Park'... I'd heard about what he is speaking of before, being prior military and what I got from it was not only that he was teaching, (Those perhaps that have no clue), but also sharing that from his vantage point, some things will never change. There's a symbolism there entailing the whole of life and how quite frankly, people walk by such symbolism not only not knowing, but also not caring that it represent a story to the educated eye.
Here he is not only sharing that, but also sharing with his last lines in this poem how he feels about the unnecessary pains in life, how many deaths are not even worthy of a symbol representing them in so many eyes, and how much he appreciates his own life...

down on my knees, eyes lifted
praying to the passing clouds
forever begging for just one more day.

I'm keying on this one poem because I think it best represents the whole of what I am trying to relate. We live in a world now, where if it bleeds, it leads. Not that death hasn't occurred through out the known history of the world, but I think there was a time when it wasn't as common in some periods in history, and when it was spoken of, it was done so in a manner that was more subtle. Although no less painful to those affected by it. Now days if it isn't particularly gruesome it doesn't rate giving it your attention unless it personally applies to your life. The other one in particular that got me was the beginning poem "You, Reader" because I just happened to be leaning at my rear garage door way, having a smoke, when I was reading it, minus blue hydrangeas...

I titled this a snap shot of what is passing because I imagine I am old enough to remember both in a way. When things were shared solemnly and with patience, and the present where it's just spit it out and without much concern on how those are going to digest what they've just had to learn about.

Pretty soon there won't be, what some consider nice, quaint and boring but thoughtful and yes caring expressions of thoughts at all, it will all be shocking and barbaric or not worth hearing... Which leads me to believe, the un acceptance of that, is the disregard as well for genuine humanness.

I rate this a ten because in addition to sharing works on a variety of other subjects (Although I can only on Amazon post a five), there's a gentleness that comes through in his writing, and a connectedness with the actual world that I believe needs to be retained.

Billy with his work, is a reminder to all of us, and poets who feel more than most in general, what it means to really be human beings... And that in this case means, say the harshest things that occur in life, gently... At least some times...

(I tend to be pretty blunt, but I admire the tact he has mastered, and have to genuinely feel, that it is simply how he is as a man).

Chase von
tlp
The Last Panther

I love this book, and so does my dad, who got it for Christmas! He likes Billy Collins for his humor and accessibility. So do I! Collins is deep, too, not just funny, and a poem can turn at the end to a moment of sobering stillness, when the mouth drops open in awe. I have all but one of his books and got to hear him read at Eureka College last year--some of the poems that appear in this book! He is as easy and personable in person as he is as the speaker of his poems!

Favorites:

"The Lanyard"--ah, those lanyards we make at camp! And then the debt of love and gratitude we owe our mothers, the astonishing jaw-dropping moment of this one!

"Reaper"--the chilling encounter with a real human being who, inescapably, resembles the grim reaper. My students were delighted at realizing the allusion to "Appointment in Samarra," which we had read earlier in semester!

"Constellations"--a look at the night sky, that leapt into my head last night, gazing up at a full moon in a clear midwestern sky, recognizing Orion, as the speaker of this poem does, and recalling the delightful imaginative twist at the end. I stood there wanting to make up my own constellations, too, but it was too cold...so I went inside.

"The Trouble with Poetry"--of course! The title poem, with its joy and sorrow and devilish humor, suggesting that the trouble with poetry is that it encourages the writing of more poetry, etc.! The theft issue that students of poetry have to grapple with is presented humorously here, and also a way to "cite" theft so it isn't theft after all. Again, this one manages to end on both a humorous and sobering note, and one about the making of a real poet from a Ferlinghetti fan of a high school boy!

This is a wonderful book, no trouble at all to read, straight through, for its marvelous progression, and then go back to, poem by poem, for joy.

Billy Collins has such a quirky sense of humor and he's a master of rhythm. I teach creative writing and, whenever a student thinks they don't like poetry, I pull out this collection and share a poem or two. Collins makes poetry accessible and enjoyable without dumbing it down. Yippee!

Billy Collins' poetry is always a delight, filled with humor, wonder, whimsy, and unexpected turns of thought. You will return to this again and again, and head for more of his poetry.