Yay Poetry!!!

So I am the “lucky” one who is blogging on Margaret Avison……

After the close readings that we have done on Margaret Avison’s poetry from “Always Now” I have come to the conclusion that I hate poetry but for some odd reason, I have a great appreciation for it. The most appealing things about Avison’s poems are her use of carefully selected diction and her ability to turn something simple into something more puzzling.

The majority of Avison’s poems (if not all of them) are based on a very simple idea. Avison’s poem, “CNR London to Toronto” is based on a train trip (not a difficult concept). But after reading it out loud, I was amazed at the thought that must have gone into creating it. To have a poem about a train that sounds like a train while reading it is sensational. There is no other way to describe it. Each word that is in that poem was hand picked by Avison. Her awareness of this effect is how she demonstrates her talent. Another simple idea is displayed in Avison’s poem, “Hid Life” which starts with the thought of an apple hanging from a tree during the winter; this is a very simple concept. Avison uses this visual and creates a poem based on something that most people don’t even notice. Essentially she takes things that are unnoticed, and makes them seem more important. The poem “Cement Worker on a Hot Day” is the same concept but instead of an apple the poem focuses on a worker who takes a drink from a fire hydrant. There is nothing exceptionally special about these two ideas, but Avison sees otherwise and from that she gets her inspiration and creates poems.

Although poetry is not my favorite type of literature, after reading Avison and noting her particular attention to detail, I most certainly admire her ability to take ordinary situations or things, and bring more depth to them.