Poetry 180

[Jessica (thebluestocking)]

Billy Collins, a former U.S. poet laureate, started a program called "Poetry 180," which is a collection of 180 poems designed to be read to high schoolers. Some of the poems are great. My current favorite is #53:

Selecting a Reader
Ted Kooser

First, I would have her be beautiful,
and walking carefully up on my poetry
at the loneliest moment of an afternoon,
her hair still damp at the neck
from washing it. She should be wearing
a raincoat, an old one, dirty
from not having money enough for the cleaners.
She will take out her glasses, and there
in the bookstore, she will thumb
over my poems, then put the book back
up on its shelf. She will say to herself,
"For that kind of money, I can get
my raincoat cleaned." And she will.

Check out the website: http://www.loc.gov/poetry/180/

[[deleted user]]

Wow. Thanks Jessica for the link. I could use these poems on my poetry writing lectures for high schoolers. Wonderful. :)

[Jessica (thebluestocking)]

#23:

Tour
Carol Snow

Near a shrine in Japan he'd swept the path
and then placed camellia blossoms there.

Or -- we had no way of knowing -- he'd swept the path
between fallen camellias.