I have probably said this in other places in these little “lectures,” but I believe that poetry should be part of my daily life. I do not want to live a life where I live in the prose world for forty hours a week or more and then live in the poetry world for five hours. In this way, I am a religious devotee of poetry. Just like the Devout Christian wants to live like a Christian 24/7, or the Muslim wants to live a life for Allah 24/7, I want to live in the world of metaphor and rhythm and meaning every second of my life. Of course, that is not possible. For one reason, I would starve. The world does not pay you to live in poetry (unless you are one of the very, very rare folks who teaches at a major university and has graders and assistants to do your daily chores while you write poetry). For another, I have to be responsible to my family. Wives and children can be understanding if you have your head in the cloud sometimes, but sooner or later they want you to be present with them, to remember to pick up the dry cleaning and listen to their joys and woes at school or work. Continue reading →