Tweetspeak Poetry

  • Home
  • FREE prompts
  • National Poetry Month
  • Every Day Poems—Subscribe! ✨
  • Teaching Tools
  • Books, Etc.
  • Patron Love

Poet’s Penance (Part 2)

By Angela Alaimo O'Donnell 5 Comments

Angela Alaimo O’Donnell concludes the essay she began last week, seeking to answer the question, “What is a poet?“

My Many-Minded-Ness, or “One of These Things is Not Like the Other”

Poets are many and multiple, each unique in his or her own peculiar ways. No two of them are alike—so much so that there is no such thing as The Poet—only a poet and poets. The capital “P” singular just won’t do. Let me illustrate.

Question: What do Allen Ginsberg & John Donne have in common?

  1. Donne was an Anglican priest, Dean of St. Paul’s Cathedral in London, a fiery preacher who wrote erotic religious poetry and pious secular poetry. All of Donne’s life was an extended love poem to God. Ginsberg was a secular American Jew, a sometime atheist with a Buddhist bent, a mystic who saw God nowhere and everywhere at once.
  2. Donne was married, a happy husband and father of many children; Ginsberg was single, childless, and militantly homosexual in a culture that shunned and punished such Difference.
  3. Donne wrote formal verse that melded Christian symbol, wildly exotic imagery, and the dailyness of life; Ginsberg wrote free verse, based upon the riffs of American Jazz, the rhythms of the Old Testament (as transmuted through Walt Whitman and Kaddish), and Buddhist incantation.

Given these facts—a few among many one might list—there is but one honest response to the question posed above.

Answer: Absolutely nothing—except for the fact that both are poets.

In keeping with this highly individual identity each poet possesses, each has highly individual ideas about the function, purpose, and practice of poetry. There are as many definitions of Poetry and incarnations of The Poet as there are poets. This sort of dissent might be cause for despair on the part of the reader who wants a quick-and-easy definition for each of these terms—but for the reader who admires ambiguity, who loves the play of paradox, and who savors multiplicity, it is warm brownies and cold milk.

Each semester, when I teach poetry to my students, I begin this delicious conversation by passing around a page of quotations from various poets defining The Poet and Poetry. This list ranges from Wordsworth’s simple (and sexist) statement, “A poet is a man speaking to men” to Emerson’s proud (and pagan) pronouncement, “Poets are liberating gods.”  In between are wonderfully presumptuous proclamations promoting the power of poetry (Shelley’s famous claim, “Poets are the unacknowledged legislators of the world”) and statements meant to temper such illusions (Auden’s admission, “Poetry makes nothing happen.”) Frost claims poetry is “a momentary stay against confusion, ” while Coleridge brings us back to the most basic of definitions, “poetry is the best words in the best order.”

Soaring from such rhetorical heights to the (supposed) depths of plain speech can be dizzying, but the journey is instructive, not to mention a great deal of fun. Each poet is right, of course, though every formulation defies the other. Forced as we are to entertain multiple images and ideas at the same time and to resist privileging one over the other, what my students and I eventually discover together is that engaging these poets in conversation about what poetry might be is a poetical act. We are exercising Keats’s concept of Negative Capability—content to exist amid “uncertainties, mysteries, doubts, without any irritable reaching after fact and reason.” Whitman gives us his imprimatur as well:

Do I contradict myself?
Very well, then, I contradict myself.
(I am large. I contain multitudes.)

There is just no arguing with poets.

Of Failure & Folly

And so I find myself in the inevitable (and unenviable) position of those poets who have come before me who failed at the task of forging a satisfactory definition of “The Poet.”  Nevertheless, there is bound to be consolation even in this.

Poet and mystic William Blake once wrote, “If the fool would persist in his folly he would become wise.” Having been fool enough to take on the task, and having come this far, my hope is that I might discover some small piece of wisdom to leave you with, dear reader.

The last word on my Hit List of Tasty Poetry Tidbits does not come from a poet at all, but from a very different kind of artist, Louis Armstrong. When asked, once, by a fan of his music, “What is Jazz?” Armstrong purportedly paused and then answered, “Man, if you gotta ask, you’ll never know.”

We know jazz when we hear it—and poetry when we read it. And we know the player and the poet through the fruits of his or her labor. The proof is in the putting (or “the pudding, ” if you like a tastier version of the cliché). Taking my final cue from the Jazz Master, it seems to me that the best answer to the question of what defines The Poet—and Poetry—is no answer at all.

Photo by Wendy Piersall. Creative Commons license via Flickr. Post by Angela Alaimo O’Donnell,  author of Saint Sinatra and Other Poems.

Purchase The Novelist, by L.L. Barkat now!

  • Author
  • Recent Posts
Angela Alaimo O'Donnell
Angela Alaimo O'Donnell
Angela Alaimo O’Donnell is a professor of English and creative writing at Fordham University. She is also the author of the sonnet-based poetry collection St. Sinatra, as well as prose titles like Flannery O'Connor: Fiction Fired by Faith.
Angela Alaimo O'Donnell
Latest posts by Angela Alaimo O'Donnell (see all)
  • Re-Inventing the Ode - March 19, 2014
  • Poetry: Mirroring the Unseen - June 26, 2013
  • Haiku: Pierced by Beauty - December 19, 2012

Filed Under: Blog, poetry, poetry teaching resources

Get Every Day Poems...

About Angela Alaimo O'Donnell

Angela Alaimo O’Donnell is a professor of English and creative writing at Fordham University. She is also the author of the sonnet-based poetry collection St. Sinatra, as well as prose titles like Flannery O'Connor: Fiction Fired by Faith.

Comments

  1. Maureen Doallas says

    September 19, 2012 at 9:58 am

    Armstrong has it right!

    Thank you for such a fine essay, Angela. To be “many-minded” is to find one of the best ways into poetry.

    Reply
  2. Angela Alaimo O'Donnell says

    September 19, 2012 at 10:04 am

    Thank you, Maureen, for reading!

    Yes, Sir Louis gets a lot of things right. Would that I could play my instrument of choice as beautifully as he played his–something to aspire to!

    Reply
  3. Megan Willome says

    September 19, 2012 at 12:16 pm

    What fun to see Donne and Ginsburg side by side! It makes me want them to be together somewhere, each drinking their beverage of choice, reading and talking poetry.

    Reply
  4. Chris Yokel says

    October 5, 2012 at 8:45 am

    I just ran into this same issue in teaching a poetry class as well: “What is poetry?” I think we poets will be forever chasing that one

    Reply
    • Angela Alaimo O'Donnell says

      October 9, 2012 at 10:58 am

      Yes, Chris–I’m sure we will . . . Thanks be to God!

      Cheers,
      Angela

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Cute Comic

😊

The Sadbook Collections

A stick-figure human sure to capture your heart.

Take How to Read a Poem

Get the Introduction, the Billy Collins poem, and Chapter 1

get the sample now

Welcome to Tweetspeak

New to Tweetspeak Poetry? Start here, in The Mischief Café. You're a regular? Check out our March Menu.

Patron Love

❤️

Welcome a little patron love, when you help keep the world poetic.

Now a Graphic Novel!

"Stunning, heartbreaking, and relevant illustrations"

Callie Feyen, teacher

read a summary of The Yellow Wallpaper

meet The Yellow Wallpaper characters

Your Comments

  • 20 Best Poetry Books About Love to Read Now  | Giannina Braschi on Poets and Poems: Dave Malone’s “O: Love Poems from the Ozarks”
  • Laura on The Honey Field—5: Sugar Water for Honeybees
  • Glynn on Looking for the Poetry in Vermeer, a Blockbuster of an Art Exhibition
  • L.L. Barkat on The Honey Field—5: Sugar Water for Honeybees

How to Write Poetry

Featured In

We're happy to have been featured in...

The Huffington Post

The Paris Review

The New York Observer

Tumblr Book News

Stay in Touch With Us

Categories

Coloring Page Poem Printables!

Get all free coloring page poems now

Learn to Write Form Poems

How to Write an Acrostic

How to Write a Ballad

How to Write a Catalog Poem

How to Write a Ghazal

How to Write a Haiku

How to Write an Ode

How to Write a Pantoum

How to Write a Rondeau

How to Write a Sestina

How to Write a Sonnet

How to Write a Villanelle

5 FREE POETRY PROMPTS

Get 5 FREE inbox poetry prompts from the popular book How to Write a Poem

Shakespeare Resources

Poetry Classroom: Sonnet 18

Common Core Picture Poems: Sonnet 73

Sonnet 104 Annotated

Sonnet 116 Annotated

Character Analysis: Romeo and Juliet

Character Analysis: Was Hamlet Sane or Insane?

Why Does Hamlet Wait to Kill the King?

10 Fun Shakespeare Resources

About Shakespeare: Poet and Playwright

Top 10 Shakespeare Sonnets

See all 154 Shakespeare sonnets in our Shakespeare Library!

Explore Work From Black Poets

About Us

  • • A Blessing for Writers
  • • Annual Theme 2022: Perspective
  • • Annual Theme 2021: Generous
  • • Our Story
  • • Meet Our Team
  • • Literary Citizenship
  • • Poet Laura
  • • Poetry for Life: The 5 Vital Approaches
  • • T. S. Poetry Press – All Books
  • • Contact Us

Write With Us

  • • 5 FREE Poetry Prompts-Inbox Delivery
  • • 30 Days to Richer Writing Workshop
  • • How to Write Form Poems-Infographics
  • • Poetry Club Tea Date
  • • Poetry Prompts
  • • Submissions

Read With Us

  • • All Our Books
  • • Book Club
  • • Every Day Poems—Subscribe! ✨
  • • Literacy Extras
  • • Poems to Listen By: Audio Series
  • • Poet-a-Day
  • • Poets and Poems
  • • 50 States Projects
  • • Charlotte Perkins Gilman Poems Library
  • • Edgar Allan Poe Poems Arts & Experience Library
  • • William Blake Poems Arts & Experience Library
  • • William Shakespeare Sonnet Library

Celebrate With Us

  • • Poem on Your Pillow Day
  • • Poetic Earth Month
  • • Poet in a Cupcake Day
  • • Poetry at Work Day
  • • Random Acts of Poetry Day
  • • Take Your Poet to School Week
  • • Take Your Poet to Work Day

Gift Ideas

  • • Every Day Poems
  • • Our Shop
  • • Everybody Loves a Book!

Connect

  • • Donate
  • • Blog Buttons
  • • By Heart
  • • Shop for Tweetspeak Fun Stuff

Copyright © 2023 Tweetspeak Poetry · FAQ, Disclosure & Privacy Policy

We serve poetry with our cookies. Because that's the way it should be.
We serve poetry with your cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you... accept the cookies with a smile.
Do not sell my personal information.
Cookie SettingsAccept
update cookie prefs

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
SAVE & ACCEPT