Comments on: Child’s Play http://shortpoem.org/childs-play/ if compression is the first grace of style Tue, 17 Apr 2012 02:46:27 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 By: Neal Whitman http://shortpoem.org/childs-play/comment-page-1/#comment-791 Neal Whitman Sat, 06 Feb 2010 16:11:37 +0000 http://shortpoem.org/?p=1256#comment-791 Chen-ou, Thank you for adding good words from David McCord. You and other readers might want to re-visit the May 1 Poetry Prof piece on "The Long and Short of It" where Mr. McCord is quoted and acknowledged for his invention of a short form, the symmetric. Mr. McCord died in 1997 at age 99. Think of the poems he read as a boy! He was wonderful talking to school childen and told one group, "When I was born, in New York City, streetcars were drawn by horses… After father lost every nickel we had we moved to a ranch on the Rogue River, in Oregon." There David's mother schooled him at home and enouraged him to read and memorize poems. And, to write 'em! At age 88, as he asked childen to read their poems to him, he advised: "Read slower. That's what's killing poetry right across the country –– speedy reading." Our GSR readers today would do well to read Chen-ou's poems out loud. A gentle rain. Neal Whitman Chen-ou,
Thank you for adding good words from David McCord. You and other readers might want to re-visit the May 1 Poetry Prof piece on “The Long and Short of It” where Mr. McCord is quoted and acknowledged for his invention of a short form, the symmetric. Mr. McCord died in 1997 at age 99. Think of the poems he read as a boy! He was wonderful talking to school childen and told one group, “When I was born, in New York City, streetcars were drawn by horses… After father lost every nickel we had we moved to a ranch on the Rogue River, in Oregon.” There David’s mother schooled him at home and enouraged him to read and memorize poems. And, to write ‘em! At age 88, as he asked childen to read their poems to him, he advised: “Read slower. That’s what’s killing poetry right across the country –– speedy reading.” Our GSR readers today would do well to read Chen-ou’s poems out loud. A gentle rain.
Neal Whitman

]]> By: Chen-ou Liu http://shortpoem.org/childs-play/comment-page-1/#comment-790 Chen-ou Liu Sat, 06 Feb 2010 15:00:02 +0000 http://shortpoem.org/?p=1256#comment-790 “What I loved about this choice is that Hoberman reminds us that children’s poetry need not be funny and may even handle subjects that parents are terrified to introduce to their children, such as death... In “Mayfly,” Hoberman shows the reader the life of this insect as it unfolds in only one day. She concludes: The daylight dies and darkness grows A single day How fast it flies A mayfly’s life How fast it goes. Her poem gives me cause to pause — as the Poetry Foundation promises: ‘The grace and taste and wit of a good children’s poem can provide a genuine frisson for those of us over 10.’” Neal, I couldn’t agree with you more. Thanks for sharing. "Poetry, like rain,should fall with elemental music...poetry for children should keep reminding them ... that the English language is a most marvelous and availing instrument." -David McCord, Poet Chen-ou “What I loved about this choice is that Hoberman reminds us that children’s poetry need not be funny and may even handle subjects that parents are terrified to introduce to their children, such as death…

In “Mayfly,” Hoberman shows the reader the life of this insect as it unfolds in only one day. She concludes:

The daylight dies and darkness grows
A single day
How fast it flies
A mayfly’s life
How fast it goes.

Her poem gives me cause to pause — as the Poetry Foundation promises: ‘The grace and taste and wit of a good children’s poem can provide a genuine frisson for those of us over 10.’”

Neal, I couldn’t agree with you more. Thanks for sharing.

“Poetry, like rain,should fall with elemental music…poetry for children should keep reminding them … that the English language is a most marvelous and availing instrument.”
-David McCord, Poet

Chen-ou

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