"Even so, for these two books...
Are not so wholly lost as certain works
Burned at Alexandria, flooded at Florence,
And are never taught at universities."
- Style by Howard Nemerov* (PoLau '63-'64, '88-'90)
I won't lie to you, I picked Howard Nemerov to quote today almost entirely because his name sounds like some lost cousin of Spock. It's awesome. He seemed like a legitimately cool guy, though. He had a really down to earth attitude about life and about poetry. His idea was to make you smile first and think second. I like that. I think there's this huge misconception that potry has to be weighed down with super think-y thoughts because it's a poem. Well, and because that's what gets taught at universities. They should teach some Nemerov in English 101. Scratch that. They should teach some Nemerov in middle school, before poetry gets ruined for kids.
*From The Poets Laureate Anthology
, published by W.W. Norton in association with the Library of Congress. Poem copyright Howard Nemerov.
Are not so wholly lost as certain works
Burned at Alexandria, flooded at Florence,
And are never taught at universities."
- Style by Howard Nemerov* (PoLau '63-'64, '88-'90)
I won't lie to you, I picked Howard Nemerov to quote today almost entirely because his name sounds like some lost cousin of Spock. It's awesome. He seemed like a legitimately cool guy, though. He had a really down to earth attitude about life and about poetry. His idea was to make you smile first and think second. I like that. I think there's this huge misconception that potry has to be weighed down with super think-y thoughts because it's a poem. Well, and because that's what gets taught at universities. They should teach some Nemerov in English 101. Scratch that. They should teach some Nemerov in middle school, before poetry gets ruined for kids.
*From The Poets Laureate Anthology
, published by W.W. Norton in association with the Library of Congress. Poem copyright Howard Nemerov.
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