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A Blogger’s Notebook 7
Several blog exchanges over the past few weeks seem to have sparked this one.Read More
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A Blogger’s Notebook 6
In an earlier post I wondered, “Can poetry address a historical moment in the moment?” Hermagoras, in the comment stream, cited Thomas Kinsella’s “in the moment” poem entitled “Butcher’s Dozen: A Lesson for the Octave of Widgery,” about the Bloody Sunday slaughter perpetrated by British troops in Derry, Ireland. Hermagoras pointed out that the poem was “written, printed, and distributed eight days after the publication of the Widgery Report exonerating the British forces for the … massacre.” Kinsella himself called the poem “doggerel,” but Hermagoras notes that “it holds up … remarkably well.” And I agree.Read More
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A Blogger’s Notebook 5
I drafted this one back in August and began tinkering with it after the handing over of our banking system to the Paulson/Bernanke, who of course have been acting primarily to protect their bosses.Read More
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A Blogger’s Notebook 4
I’m currently wandering in the weird limbo that is the aftermath of finishing (put that word in quotes) a long poem (27 pages in manuscript) that has consumed, off and on, nearly three years of my life. There were many other short poems along the way—sprints in the midst of the marathon—but now I feel pretty much out of ideas. Such times always send me back to my notebooks. Two thirds of what I write never leaves them, for good reason.Read More
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A Blogger’s Notebook 3
KEATS’S URN: A MARGINAL NOTEThe well wrought door clicks shut.The well wrought poemsprings open.Read More
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A Blogger’s Notebook 2
THE THINGS THAT CARRIED THEM Mother.Cradle. Basinette. Crib.Shoulders. Snugli. Stroller. Car seat.Pull sled. Saucer. Double-bladed ice skates.Tricycle. Pedal car. Roller skates. Scooter.Training-wheel bicycle. Skateboard. Ten speed.Monkey bars. Merry-go-round. Swing set. Slide. Cottonwood treehouse. Willow-branch swing.Bumper car. Paddle boat. Ferris wheel. Flying Eagle.Carousel. Roller coaster. Tilt-a-Whirl. Scrambler.Rubber raft. Rowboat. Aluminum canoe.Skateboard. Ten speed. Snowboard. Skis.Mini bike. City bus. Daddy’s car. Beater car.Chevrolet. Volkwagen. Datsun. Subaru.SUV. ATV. Crotch Rocket. Chopper.Sailboat. Bass boat. Bowrider. Jet Ski.Parasail. Parachute. Hot air balloon.Helicopter. Gulfstream. Seven-forty-seven.Booster rocket. Space Shuttle. SpaceShipOne.U2. F-15. B-1B. C-130.Stretcher. Gurney. Wheelchair. Crutches.Stretcher. Gurney. Body bag. Coffin.Coffin. Coffin. Coffin.Earth.Read More
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A Blogger’s Notebook 1
WHY I SHOULD NEVER DRINK Last night I fumbled for my lovepoem’s bra-latch while kissingeach feminine rhyme, each enjambedsyllable drenched in my whiskied breath,when suddenly my nightmare zipperpopped, and what should pokeout but a rifle barrel? Somethinghigh caliber—something automatic.Just then the title of my next red-facedrant came to me: “Power Politicsand the Death of Pleasure.”Read More
Joseph Hutchison, Colorado Poet Laureate 2014-2019, has published 20 collections of poems and edited or co-edited three poetry anthologies. He currently directs two master’s-level programs for University College at the University of Denver: Professional Creative Writing and Arts & Culture Management. Joe lives with his wife, Melody Madonna, in the mountains southwest of Denver, Colorado, the city where he was born. 
