It's February, which probably means some of your enthusiasm for your New Year's resolutions have faded. It's also arguably the worst time of year weather-wise so you may be feeling a little bit J.D Salinger-style reclusive. What do you need to get you out of the winter blues? You need poetry.
Now this suggestion may sound a bit bizarre and out of place, but poetry is practically made for February. It's low-commitment, urgent and is designed to be consumed quickly, making it perfect for when you're struck with February lethargy. And though you may be holding on to some traumatizing memories from high school English class, poetry isn't as esoteric and stiff as it has traditionally been viewed. Here are 5 poetry collections to interest even the most ardent anti-poetry opponent.
Citizen: An American Lyric By Claudia Rankine
Citizen: An American Lyric is a book-length poem about how race plays out in daily life, in the media and in our minds. Touching on everything from daily slights to bigger, racially fueled incidents of the 21st century, Rankine questions the notion of a "post-race society." A finalist for the National Book Award in 2014, it would be easy to say that this work is especially relevant or timely given this year's events. But this is exactly what Rankine's work pushes back on. In her work Rankine underlines how racism isn't just a relevant news story meant to be consumed but a construct experienced daily by some.
Olds' poems are anything but stiff and esoteric. They are fast-moving, raw and almost painfully confessional. Reading Olds' poem's about her family, her body and her desires will convince even the most intense poetry hater that poetry is a lot of things, but it certainly isn't boring.
A little obsessive, a little love-crazy and a little scary, Siken's collection of poems have such a cinematic and immediate quality to them, it almost feels like you're watching a movie when you read them. A 2004 winner of the Yale Younger Poets prize, his collection of love poems are grounded with a certain amount of grittiness and savagery.
Dance Dance Revolution by Cathy Park Hong
How can you not want to read a poetry collection called Dance, Dance Revolution? The collection by Korean-American author Cathy Park Hong is part interview, part science fiction and part imaginary memoir. Each poem is a transcription of an interview from a near-distant future during a tour of a city called the Desert.
No Planets Strike by Josh Bell
Irreverent, subversive and funny, Bell paints a picture of America that is both beautiful and bizarre. Filled with expertly crafted lyricism, grief and cultural omnivorism, the collection is incredibly self-aware. Anyone who thinks poems can't be fun should read this.
Photo Credit: Lívia Cristina L. C. | Flickr
