Tuesday, September 30, 2014

How to read a long poem

how to read a long poem:


whisper the lines aloud
softly
stop and perhaps reflect 

‘oh my God that is perfect’

read the line again for confirmation

I learned this from hearing the poet 
David Whyte read:
he stopped and reread the lines for emphasis
but softly 
so as not to bang you over the head with it

but to allow you the gift of the moment 
to embrace it
to breathe in its essence
to slow down 
and 
dwell 
there with the writer and 
comprehend, to hear them speak 
to hear them speak

to hear
them 
speak