Quotation Of Poetry: Breathe-In Experience, Breathe-Out Poetry

My major poetry quotation is “Breathe-in experience, breathe-out poetry.” by Muriel Rukeyser quoted in Highs by Alex J. Packer. To me this quotation means that poetry does not just appear out of thin air. Poets write about their views, life experiences, and the world around them. Once we have experienced something we can go back and write how it was, how we felt, how it looked, or so many other things in the form of a poem. Poems can be written in more ways than a story can be told. It can add to the character of the poem. How the writer set up the poem could also determine how fast or slow the poem is read. I found three poems that had certain parts that made me think of the same meaning as my major poetry quotation or they back up the meaning

The poems I found are Billy Collin’s "Introduction to Poetry" (P.40), Pablo Neruda’s “Words” but the version translated by Kristen Linklater (P. 103-104), and Gary Snyder’s “How Poetry Comes to Me” (P.140).

In the poem “Introduction to Poetry” by Billy Collins (P.40) the three lines I want to talk about are “I say drop a mouse into a poem and watch him probe his way out”, ”water-ski across the surface of a poem waving at the author’s name on the shore”, and “But all they want to do is tie the poem up to a change with a rope and torture a confession out of it”. To me the line “ I say drop a mouse into a poem and watch him probe his way out” goes together with the major poetry quotation I chose. I think that they both are talking about something being done and what is taken away from that action or experience that helps make poetry what it is. I also think it is saying poetry is like a maze and you have to work through the poem to find your way out. Making poetry is an experience in itself. Moving through the poem the next line that caught my eye was,

Since this poem is so short it all stood out but each line for its own little reason. The poem starts out with “It comes blundering over the boulders at night”. This makes me think that not only poetry comes blundering through, but maybe a lot more. For example things like memories, stories, feelings of being happy, sad, angry, or everything in between. The next line goes “It stays Frightened outside the Range of my campfire”. At first glace I though only about what would lurks outside a fire (animals), but than I though of the writing process. Which led me to come up with maybe some memories or experiences that stand out more than others are lurking but they still need some help. The ideas are a little to timid to stand up or out without help or molding. Then the final line of the poem goes “I go to meet it at the edge of the light”, leaving me to think about helping those ideas that are lurking out and from them into something beautiful in its own. With not only words to tell a story, but images that get our minds, senses, and emotions going all at the same time. Making a unique piece of art that we get to read and share with those around