Mimi was glad that Dennis didn't "dump his whole brain on the page". Good opening gambit for the evening. I don't do clams myself, but really liked the image of being gobbled up with a salty Margarita. Alan said Dennis' ideas didn't mesh and Tom went on about the "scaffolding", but most of us seemed happy with it.
Dan's opera "Scena in 9 acts, a prologue and an epilogue" were fun and clever, with good rhymes and extremely funny. Bev wrote a universal experience - attending an uncle's funeral and observing the relatives. We all had suggestions for tightening it up. Alan rather stridently called down the lightening with some great lines, including "I stand indifferently on the earth". After I got past the part about the golf course, you know "the masters", I liked it.
Mimi was great with a poem pointedly not about her father (of course it was) but Alfred T. Bascomb, a dead drunk, a really dead drunk, I mean. We talked about a title change. Stacey wrote The Empty Poem, in verse, a modern rhyme that was gentle and simple. She called it an academic rhyming exercise and explained why she taps her fingers. Catherine did some nice repetition, we discussed line breaks and rhyme. Isn't it funny how rhyme has been intruding its head lately?
Tim was back in the elevator overhearing conversations. This was a real drama and ended hilariously with a multiple choice question about motherhood. "It's all in the reading." Edie was totally, totally obscene and deserves to be punished. She did make a political statement. Seven dirty words to outrage the reader.
I was glad to see Joyce, although I misinterpreted her poem which turned out to be a straightforward description of Deception not a commentary on Christmas with her family. Sorry. I insulted Tom mightily, I'm afraid by offering the consideration that he end his poem after the third line, meaning that I liked the dumpster lines a lot and didn't follow the rest too well. There was some hysteria in the crowd. I had no poem so maybe I shouldn't criticize at all. I may be on hiatus again.
Announcements included Three Guys from Albany in town this week, please come to artist reception here on March 9 (I will attempt to link to flyer), Alan handed out postcards for an appearance in Maine. Pot Luck Poetry Brunch is on April 12. We will discuss.
Joyce went home and got Steve to join us at Smit's. Obama talk ensued at my end of the table.
I just had a nice chat with Susan Riback and BBBurke dropped off my Girl Scout cookies.
Some of Us
Dennis Sullivan, Beverly Osborne, Tom Corrado, Edie Abrams, Art Willis, Alan Casline (all seated); Paul Amidon, Mike Burke, Tim Verhaegen, Mark O'Brien, Barbara Vink, Philomena Moriarty
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