The Ha-ha: Poems

by David K. Kirby

A feature of English landscape architecture, a ha-ha is a wall at the bottom of a ditch; its purpose is to allow the presence of cows and sheep on one's lawn, but at an agreeable distance and with none of the malodorous unsightliness that proximity would bring. Similarly, The Ha-Ha, the latest offering from poet David Kirby, is both an exploration of the ways in which the mind invites chaos yet keeps it at a distance and an apologia for humor, reflecting Irish poet Patrick Kavanagh's observation that tragedy is merely underdeveloped comedy. Embracing wit, wide-ranging scholarship, and an equal love of travel as well as the pleasures of home, The Ha-Ha depicts comedy as a radical form of intelligence, a way of thinking that just happens to be noisy and rumbustious.
We are staying with Barbara's parents on Oahu, and the first night we're there, I notice an angry-looking man is staring at me
out of the neighbor's upstairs window and mumbling something, but the second night I realize that it's that poster of Bo Diddley
from the famous Port Arthur concert, and there's a phone wirein front of his face that bobs up and down when the trade winds blow,
which they do constantly, making it seem as though Mr. Diddley is saying something to me.
From "The Ha-Ha, Part The Tao of Bo Diddley" published in The Poems by David Kirby. Copyright © 2003 by David Kirby. All rights reserved.
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Genres: Poetry

55 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2003

Reviews

[Peter Derk · Rating 3 out of 5]

March 2009.
That's when I added this book to my to-read list on Goodreads. Before today, it was the oldest thing on my Goodreads to-read list. Well, no more!

And you fuckers thought all I could read was comics. Well, NOW who's stupid? NOW who needs pictures with the words?

This is poetry, okay? Po-ems. Lyrical shit. And I read it.

You must be feeling pretty bad about yourself right about now. I don't blame you. I'd feel like shit too if I just got dunked on this hard by someone on Goodreads, someone I thought was a dope, and now has forced me to say, "Perhaps I am the dope."

Yes, perhaps. Perhaps you are.

[Tish · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought this for my husband after hearing a Nancy Pearl review. Well-titled, it is full of accessible, funny poetry from a master of the art.

[Hannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just delightful. Anyone who thinks humor in poetry is the sole purview of Odgen Nash and limericks should read the poem in this book about the birth of Kirby's son. Deeply moving and funny in unexpected ways (i.e., there are no jokes about fainting in the emergency room, or anything like that. Kirby's not cheap.).

[Jimmy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book WAY more than I expected to. I felt like I was reading a kindred spirit. This is the way I would want to write these poems. Our sense of humor matched up perfectly.

Here he reads from the Griffin Poetry Prize of 2004: "Borges at the Northside Rotary."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UEwgF...

[Kilian · Rating 4 out of 5]

ha-ha (noun): a ditch with a wall inside it that you cannot see from ground level, that forms the edge of a garden or park without blocking the view

That's what an ha-ha is.
But an ha-ha is also every distraction that keeps life's chaos at a reasonable distance while allowing it for space and remaining visible for the curious eye.
It is also every turn on the story that David Kirby takes in his poems in order to deviate from their initial themes. And I was THERE for it all along, happily following those long streams of consciousness like we'd ride smooth rollercoasters.

It was my first time properly reading narrative poetry and I loved how free that felt, the poems mixing the poet's thoughts and dialogue between him and some of the people that inhabit his life.
Looking forward to reading more of that type of poetry collection!

[Sean · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amazing

[Parker Logan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love David Kirby and his writing. He is tragically hilarious.

[Patricia · Rating 4 out of 5]

David Kirby's poems are much too long and narrative for me to ever memorize, but I greatly enjoyed them. I enjoyed them so much that I rationed myself to one poem read per day. His form is somewhat rambling, and he manages to cleverly hit the humor and the passing pathos in nearly every one.