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The Unread Squirrel
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January 6, 2010
Unsuitable Poems is such a lovely idea and title for a collection – for these are the poems that have found it hard to find a home elsewhere. This is the second collection of such poems by Helena Nelson.
I remember a published writer I knew once telling me that she didn’t really think of herself as a ‘proper’ writer because she had only ever had her non-fiction published and ‘real’ writers write fiction. Prior to her saying this I’d always thought she was a bit of an idiot so it was comforting to finally have my view confirmed. There are only two types of writing and the division isn’t between fiction and non-fiction, but between good and utter shit. True, there is probably a spectrum but the utter shit end of that spectrum is wide and bucket shaped with a rather wide brim.
That metaphor got a bit mixed somewhere along the line you will notice – which is a illustration of why I finally gave up pretending to be a poet. But knowing my own limitations does nothing to take away from my delight at reading works by people who stand so far beyond those limitation. Helena Nelson’s poetry always affects me – there is an honesty to the feeling of her poetry that is hard to ignore, there is a lack of pretension that makes it a joy to read and often there is a flash of humour that is simply delightful. She plays the games of poetry with consummate skill and it is hard to miss the utter joy she brings to all of her poetry, but below the games is a seriousness and meaningfulness that takes my breath away.
Like I said before, what makes for good writing doesn’t come in a division between fiction and non-fiction. However, I also think that the division between serious and light is grossly overstated. To write a good light piece of poetry is, by no means, light work. To make someone smile is as hard as to make them cry or frown – and sometimes even more worthwhile and sometimes even more revealing. All of these poems made me smile.
That said, the two I liked the most face each other in this publication. They are The Red Squirrel (which I think is my favourite in the entire book and so clever it makes me smile even to think of it and the one I’m going to quote now – Obit, which I really love.
Obit
His best work? Copacetic
‘To K.S.’ below it.
Four hundred lines, and three made sense.
He was a poet’s poet.
Now that, Ms Nelson, is very funny. Thank you.
If you are thinking of becoming a poet there is some great advice in this in the poem How to Piss Off Your Prospective Poetry Publisher. You can buy this collection of poetry here:
http://www.happenstancepress.co.uk/ze...
If you really are interested in becoming a poet – particularly an English poet – then this site:
http://www.happenstancepress.co.uk/
Contains a wealth of information.
I remember a published writer I knew once telling me that she didn’t really think of herself as a ‘proper’ writer because she had only ever had her non-fiction published and ‘real’ writers write fiction. Prior to her saying this I’d always thought she was a bit of an idiot so it was comforting to finally have my view confirmed. There are only two types of writing and the division isn’t between fiction and non-fiction, but between good and utter shit. True, there is probably a spectrum but the utter shit end of that spectrum is wide and bucket shaped with a rather wide brim.
That metaphor got a bit mixed somewhere along the line you will notice – which is a illustration of why I finally gave up pretending to be a poet. But knowing my own limitations does nothing to take away from my delight at reading works by people who stand so far beyond those limitation. Helena Nelson’s poetry always affects me – there is an honesty to the feeling of her poetry that is hard to ignore, there is a lack of pretension that makes it a joy to read and often there is a flash of humour that is simply delightful. She plays the games of poetry with consummate skill and it is hard to miss the utter joy she brings to all of her poetry, but below the games is a seriousness and meaningfulness that takes my breath away.
Like I said before, what makes for good writing doesn’t come in a division between fiction and non-fiction. However, I also think that the division between serious and light is grossly overstated. To write a good light piece of poetry is, by no means, light work. To make someone smile is as hard as to make them cry or frown – and sometimes even more worthwhile and sometimes even more revealing. All of these poems made me smile.
That said, the two I liked the most face each other in this publication. They are The Red Squirrel (which I think is my favourite in the entire book and so clever it makes me smile even to think of it and the one I’m going to quote now – Obit, which I really love.
Obit
His best work? Copacetic
‘To K.S.’ below it.
Four hundred lines, and three made sense.
He was a poet’s poet.
Now that, Ms Nelson, is very funny. Thank you.
If you are thinking of becoming a poet there is some great advice in this in the poem How to Piss Off Your Prospective Poetry Publisher. You can buy this collection of poetry here:
http://www.happenstancepress.co.uk/ze...
If you really are interested in becoming a poet – particularly an English poet – then this site:
http://www.happenstancepress.co.uk/
Contains a wealth of information.
Displaying 1 of 1 review