I am reading the poems of Raymond Carver. When I can, I read these poems out loud. It helps me understand the pacing of the punctuation and lineation. This only can occur when I am alone. My preference would be to read these poems alone. And write at a desk or table, alone. That way, my full attention is given to the reading, the writing. Often times, I end up reading and writing on a couch or in bed. My handwriting and my concentration are lessened.
Today I read the poem ‘Reading’ alone and out loud, sitting at a desk. “Every man’s life is a mystery” the poem begins.
In the poem, a man is reading at a desk in front of a window. Only looking up once briefly to recall a life of “getting spit on for years.” Then he returns to reading. He “will not feel guilty” of that former life.
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Another poem I read recently, ‘This Word Love’ These are my notes from the poem:
A three-part poem.
In the first part he is waiting, unhappily, for a woman to call. Most likely his ex-wife, Maryann. She will say she loves him. The second part brings up the light. All consuming. The third part likens the love, from part one, from the ex, to darkness.
But at the end of the poem: “Your loosened hair knows no hesitation.” This must be about Tess Gallagher, the woman he would eventually marry after Maryann.
I do not know why, but I decided to read this poem, out loud, to the family. Maybe it was because they were in the room where I was reading on the couch. Maybe I just wanted to share. They have no idea what his poems are like or about. They are not really familiar with Raymond Carver at all.
Except for the brief things I had mentioned to them. Except for the one night I watched the documentary ‘The Life of Raymond Carver.” While I was watching, my son and daughter wandered in, one by one. They listened along with mild interest while scrolling through their phones in different parts of the room. I enjoyed them being curious about what I was curious about.
And maybe that is why I decided to read ‘This Word Love’ out loud to them. When I finished, having recently read a biography about Raymond Carver and learning a bit about his marital history, I let them know my thoughts on the poem. I mentioned I thought the first parts of the poem were about his ex-wife and the last lines must be about his future wife.
My wife countered saying that the entire poem could have been about his first wife. I kept to myself the fact that she was defending love. The love of the first wife. I stated that after reading his biography and reading many of Carver’s poems, I didn’t think so. But my wife kept to her theory.
I put the book of poems away. On top of the stack with my journal, the biography, and some short story collections. Then I got up and went to the kitchen to make dinner.
